Posted on 01/20/2012 9:36:48 AM PST by milwguy
The chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona has cited his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in refusing on Friday to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in its ongoing investigation into the failed “Fast and Furious” gunrunning operation.
Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican and committee chairman, said the prosecutor, Patrick J. Cunningham, had been subpoenaed by the committee to testify on Tuesday but his attorney notified the panel that Mr. Cunningham intended to exercise his right not to incriminate himself at his scheduled deposition.
“The assertion of the Fifth Amendment by a senior Justice official is a significant indictment of the department’s integrity in Operation Fast and Furious,” Mr. Issa said. “The former head of the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] has previously told the committee that the Justice Department is managing its response to Operation Fast and Furious in a manner designed to protect its political appointees.
“This is the first time anyone has asserted their Fifth Amendment right in this investigation and heightens concerns that the Justice Department’s motivation for refusing to hand over subpoenaed materials is a desire to shield responsible officials from criminal charges and other embarrassment,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Mr. Issa described Mr. Cunningham’s response to the subpoena as “extremely rare,” adding that “even more alarming” was how broad Mr. Cunningham had intended to rely on the Fifth Amendment. He said the prosecutor’s lawyer, Tobin J. Romero, informed the committee that the only information Mr. Cunningham would provide was his name and title at the Justice Department.
Mr. Cunningham, who will leave his post on Jan. 27 for a private sector job, has been chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix for the past two years. A former assistant U.S. attorney in the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force in Arizona, Mr. Cunningham supervises federal criminal prosecutions, victim and witness services and asset forfeitures in Phoenix, northern Arizona and the Yuma section of the Arizona-Mexico border.
It makes perfect sense for him to plead the Fifth. What does he have to be afraid of from the Department of “Justice?”
It makes perfect sense for him to plead the Fifth, effectively thumbing his nose at Congress. What does he have to be afraid of, prosecution from this Department of “Justice?” No way!
When those sworn to uphold the law are allowed to get away with breaking the law in such an aggregious manner as in F&F, can tyranny be far off?
>>Cunningham is obviously being told by Holder to take the fifth. In return, Cunningham is being set up in some lucrative job in the private sector by some rich Obama supporter.
So, subpoena the records of his future employer to determine whether there was any contact with the “Just Us” department. Go after the employer for “witness tampering” and do it publicly.
That's where the big money is.
More, more, more. Ping.
To answer the question in the TITLE,
it rather seems like the dam is holding it’s pressure well.
A communist takeover always first seizes the foundations: law enforcment, courts, media, economy, military. Just like a burglar might first disable the security alarms.
Just like the 3-time breach of Obama’s passport file was accompanied by upper management 3 times ignoring security protocols. Nobody got in trouble for it, and the guy who owned the company who employed the breachers is now the head of National Security, appointed immediately after Obama’s election to adjust the security protocols for all passports IIRC.
When the fox guards the henhouse both that fox and any in his pack can do whatever they want. And that is America today.
Fast and Furious is proving the things some of us “kooks” have been saying all along about the lawlessness of our government. And it is proving that the total disregard for the rule of law is accompanied by an equally-callous total disregard for innocent human lives. IOW, not only is our government criminally corrupt, but they are DEADLY corrupt.
Has there been one question about Fast and Furious in the debates yet? Or have any of the candidates managed to bring it up? I think they need to find a way to pivot to this next time. I’m not seeing any narrative get weaved of how the Obama administration is corrupt with this, the crony capitalism, Immelt backing his campaign on MSNBC and then getting a position in the White House, etc.
Dam’s gonna burst...
It would be interesting to know where he is going, who hired him.
Laws are being broken every day. The Constitution is being trampled on and no one is doing anything about it. Tyranny far off? We are already there. The system of checks and balances that we learned about in high school civics class no longer applies.
I’m positive, just positive, that the Washington Post and the Democrats in congress are really investigating this. If they’re willing to sell out their fellow Americans, is there anything they won’t do?
Gingrich needs to get out in front on this one. It’s symptomatic of Obama’s culture of corruption. It would be a winning issue.
“My client is, in fact, innocent, but he has been ensnared by the unfortunate circumstances in which he now stands between two branches of government. I will therefore be instructing him to assert his constitutional privilege,” Mr. Romero wrote.
Ok, he is the criminal division chief "ensnared by the unfortunate circumstances." How could he be in that position unless someone put him there? A subordinate could not do that so it must have been someone above him.
Who is above the the chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Arizona?
Just who is his boss?
:-)
. Pleading the Fifth can prevent him from incriminating himself but it also is a clear indicator that Issa is getting very close now. Patrick J. Cunningham is the chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney
Hey Obama and Hillary. How’s that working on gun control under the radar working out for you.
I’m surprised that the guy is leaving DOJ. Incompetence seems to be job requirement at DOJ and its various bureaus and agencies, and the DOJ has an omerta with respect to such investigations by Congress. After several FBI agents took the 5th regarding the Ruby Ridge murders, some got promoted and none were seriously affected by their refusal to cooperate with Congressional investigations.
Nothing. In all likelihood, his new career in the private sector will be rewarded for his faithfulness to the DOJ's omerta.
Ok, there is that weird extra text at the bottom of my post 16 again. Anyone ever seen that one before?
It looks like it is grabbing text from above the end and tacking it on at the bottom. It does not show in the preview.
It has done this twice in a week. I am running Opera with Windyholes Xtra Problems...
thanks...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.