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FACT SHEET: Today’s Meeting with AG Holder about Fast and Furious Documents and Contempt
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ^ | 6-19-2012 | press release

Posted on 06/19/2012 1:14:35 PM PDT by smoothsailing

June 19, 2012

FACT SHEET: Today’s Meeting with AG Holder about Fast and Furious Documents and Contempt

Today’s Meeting is at 5 p.m. in the Capitol

Chairman Issa, Senator Grassley, and Attorney General Holder have agreed to meet this evening at 5 p.m. in the Capitol.  The best place to stake out the meeting is the Rotunda (Members of Leadership and their staff will not be participating in the meeting).  DOJ has requested that Rep. Elijah Cummings and Sen. Patrick Leahy also be permitted to attend.  Chairman Issa has indicated he will grant this request.  Currently, DOJ has not delivered or shown the Committee ANY of the documents it has said it is prepared to produce.  It is not clear if they will actually produce these documents to the Committee before the Wednesday vote to facilitate a postponement.

Possibility of postponement is and always has been about whether DOJ produces a described subset of documents before Wednesday’s vote 

This evening’s meeting between Chairman Issa and Attorney General Holder is NOT being done “in exchange”  for a postponement of Wednesday’s vote.  Chairman Issa has repeatedly stated over the past week that a postponement of Wednesday’s vote would only come after the delivery of a subset of Post February 4 documents that Attorney General Holder said he was prepared to produce and the Department of Justice further outlined to Committee investigators on Thursday, June 14.  The length of any postponement would depend on the amount and substance of documents delivered.

• On June 14, 2012, Attorney General Holder wrote that, “the Department is prepared to provide documents that, while outside the scope of the Committee’s interest in the inappropriate tactics used in Fast and Furious, are responsive to how the Department’s understanding of the facts regarding that matter evolved throughout 2011 and how the Department came to withdraw its February 4, 2011, letter to Senator Grassley.”

 

• On June 15, 2012, Chairman Issa wrote to the Attorney General that, “production of the documents noted in your letter and outlined yesterday in a meeting with Committee staff would be sufficient for me to justify a postponement of the Committee’s scheduled vote on contempt to facilitate their review and discussions with the Department.  I am prepared to announce this delay once the Department produces these documents.”

• On June 18, 2012, Chairman Issa reiterated this position writing, “only the delivery of documents outlined and offered by the Department of Justice last Thursday to staff will be sufficient to justify a postponement of Wednesday’s scheduled vote.”

The Committee is not in a position to take contempt completely and permanently off the table at this evening’s meeting

• On June 15, 2012, Chairman Issa indicated to the Attorney General that documents that could justify a postponement still leave, “substantial concerns that these documents may not be sufficient to allow the Committee to complete its investigation.”

 

• On June 18, 2012, Chairman Issa reiterated this position:  “I will not be in a position tomorrow to negotiate over whether certain actions – short of full compliance – are sufficient to warrant more than a delay of contempt proceedings.”

Chairman Issa has explained what DOJ needs to do to have serious discussions about fully and finally ending contempt proceedings

On June 18, Chairman Issa explained that full information is necessary for the Committee to determine exactly what post February 4, 2011, documents the Department may not need to produce: 

“The Department has also failed to provide a log that includes descriptions of documents, the dates they were created, who created them, and individualized explanations for why the Department believes these documents should not be produced pursuant to the subpoena.  Only the Department knows what it possesses.  A full understanding of the post-February 4, 2011, documents under subpoena that the Department is not prepared to produce is essential for the Committee to determine whether the Department has substantially met its obligations.”

Chairman Issa ultimately seeks an agreement rendering contempt unnecessary

On June 13, Chairman Issa wrote to Attorney General Holder:  “I believe the interests of the Department, Congress, and those directly affected by reckless conduct in Operation Fast and Furious are best served by an agreement that renders the process of contempt unnecessary.”

Chairman Issa, as outlined above, has indicated that he will continue to pursue contempt if the Justice Department does not agree to produce documents they have indicated they will produce prior to the scheduled contempt vote.

House has narrowed its request to accommodate DOJ’s concerns about material gathered that could affect prosecutions

Chairman Issa has outlined the substantial efforts he and House leadership have made to accommodate the Justice Department’s wish to avoid producing materials gathered during the Fast and Furious investigation.  This has been done by narrowing the focus to subpoenaed documents created after the investigation ended and indictments had been announced.

Why are the post February 4, 2011, documents critically important?

On February 4, 2011, the Department of Justice denied whistleblower allegations that guns in Operation Fast and Furious had been allowed to “walk” to Mexico and defended the Operation itself. Ten months later, on December 2, 2011, the Justice Department formally withdrew this denial and acknowledged that Fast and Furious was “fundamentally flawed.” In responding to Congress, however, the Justice Department has taken the position that it will not share its internal deliberations related to Operation Fast and Furious that occurred after it denied anything inappropriate occurred on February 4, 2011. This position effectively denies Congress and the American people information about:

o The Justice Department switching its view from denying whistleblower allegations to admitting they were true.

 

o Hiding the identity of officials who led the charge to call whistleblowers liars and retaliate against them.

o The reactions of top officials when confronted with evidence about gunwalking in Fast and Furious, including whether they were surprised or were already aware.

o The Justice Department’s assessment of responsibility for officials who knew about reckless conduct or were negligent.

o Whether senior officials and political appointees at fault in Operation Fast and Furious were held to the same standards as lower level career employees whom the Department has primarily blamed.

While officials at the Department of Justice had earlier claimed that divulging this information would have a “chilling effect” on future internal deliberations, they have more recently expressed a greater willingness to produce this material. Congress, under both Democratic and Republican leadership, has never recognized internal agency discussions as privileged and protected.

###


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2deadfeds; 300deadmexicans; atf; banglist; dea; dhs; doj; fastandfurious; fbi; gunrunner; gunwalker; holder; ice; murdergate; obama
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1 posted on 06/19/2012 1:14:37 PM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing

Eric Holder blew off the Tuesday morning deadline to turn over documents. Cite him for contempt and demand his resignation.


2 posted on 06/19/2012 1:18:51 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (The media ignored the 40th anniversary of Bill Ayers' Pentagon bombing but not Watergate. Ask Why.)
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To: smoothsailing

Jointly agreed to timeline-—

7/31—DOJ to release “known” documents
9/31—Joint Meeting to discuss internal findings-No public disclosure agreed to by both parties
11/31—Oopps Nevermind-Issa moves on to something else of paramount concern


3 posted on 06/19/2012 1:22:57 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Someone important make......The Call!)
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To: smoothsailing

DOJ has requested that Rep. Elijah Cummings and Sen. Patrick Leahy also be permitted to attend.*********

What on earth can Cummings and Leahy provide other than running interference for Holder?


4 posted on 06/19/2012 1:23:08 PM PDT by bereanway
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To: smoothsailing

There are only two outcomes to this meeting:

1) The Contempt of Congress vote will proceed tomorrow.

or

2) Issa will have some HEAVY explaining to do.

In any case, we will know a LOT more about F&F by this time tomorrow.


5 posted on 06/19/2012 1:30:37 PM PDT by kidd
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To: bereanway
What on earth can Cummings and Leahy provide other than running interference for Holder?

That's about it. Cummings will blubber about Republican racists and Leahy will blubber about what heroic public servants Cummings and Holder are.

6 posted on 06/19/2012 1:33:27 PM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: smoothsailing
Congress, under both Democratic and Republican leadership, has never recognized internal agency discussions as privileged and protected.

LOL!

That was before "The Won" (heading the most transparent administration in history) and his lapdog Holder arrived on the scene.

7 posted on 06/19/2012 1:34:46 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Intellect is not wisdom" -- Thomas Sowell)
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To: smoothsailing

Eric Holder is not going to turn over a damn thing or he would have done so by now. He can’t afford to turn over the documents because he knew about Fast & Furious, period.


8 posted on 06/19/2012 1:36:12 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: bereanway

Cummings and Leahy should be allowed to attended provided they are bound and gagged and tied to chairs. Large heavy chairs.


9 posted on 06/19/2012 1:42:17 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: smoothsailing

In the Nixon era, this was called stonewalling.

Holder is about one disclosure away from impeachment.


10 posted on 06/19/2012 1:44:08 PM PDT by popdonnelly (Socialism isn't going to work this time, either.)
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To: bereanway
What on earth can Cummings and Leahy provide other than running interference for Holder?

Good question. I suspect that they are there to play hardball, not just to interfere.

Cummings is an idiot, but he is the one who usually brings up race issues.

Leahy is the head of the SENATE Judiciary committee and has no business on a HOUSE matter, other than to possibly threaten Issa with some made-up counter-move by the Senate Judiciary.

Holder has probably called for a private meeting so that he can threaten an investigation on an Issa family member.

I think the meeting was a mistake for Issa to attend. He should have replied that there will be NO meetings anymore. just documents or a contempt citation.

11 posted on 06/19/2012 1:45:16 PM PDT by kidd
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To: smoothsailing

Doesn’t look like Issa’s backing down on this at all.


12 posted on 06/19/2012 1:48:44 PM PDT by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: Lurker

I’d better see contempt citations filed by 8:00 MDT Wednesday, or I’ll be PO’d!

If Issa waffles, there will be no resolution.


13 posted on 06/19/2012 1:53:16 PM PDT by G Larry
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To: kidd

Even if a contempt citation is passed out of committee, will Boehner and Cantor allow it to be voted on by the entire House?


14 posted on 06/19/2012 1:55:38 PM PDT by kabar
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To: smoothsailing
It sounds to me that the DOJ is being quite forthright: "House has narrowed its request to accommodate DOJ’s concerns about material gathered that could affect prosecutions"

You just have to consider WHOSE prosecutions would be affected by the disclosure of these documents.

15 posted on 06/19/2012 1:58:25 PM PDT by the_Watchman
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To: kidd

“”we will know a LOT more about F&F by this time tomorrow.””
surely, you don’t really believe that.


16 posted on 06/19/2012 2:04:06 PM PDT by Segovia
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To: smoothsailing

Whitewash, stall, delay, stonewall, obstruct, appease, blame, defer, deflect, cover-up, smear, etc.. It’s time for Issa to stop being played. We demand it!


17 posted on 06/19/2012 2:04:58 PM PDT by GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
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To: smoothsailing; thouworm; LucyT; STARWISE; maggief; onyx
Issa needs to wear a wire so conversations can be recorded.

Is it possible that the two gentlemen asked to be present are there as witness so the “guilty party” does NOT come back on Holder?...Sort of like making certain you have a water-hose and shovel handy before you throw gasoline on a fire.

18 posted on 06/19/2012 2:06:29 PM PDT by hoosiermama ( Obama: " born in Kenya.".. he's lying now or then?)
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To: kabar; smoothsailing

From an earlier thread:

FNC (Megyn Kelly) is now reporting the House has the votes for contempt and that Speaker Boehner is willing to proceed since Holder hasn’t complied with Issa’s request.

167 posted on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 11:25:20 AM by smoothsailing

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2896737/posts?page=167#167


19 posted on 06/19/2012 2:11:10 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Intellect is not wisdom" -- Thomas Sowell)
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To: popdonnelly

Nixon’s biggest shortcoming was that he wasn’t black.


20 posted on 06/19/2012 2:12:14 PM PDT by GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
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