Holder admits Axelrod, White House helped Justice Dept craft Fast and Furious public relations..

The Daily Caller ^

[Sub-Driver]

Holder admits Axelrod, White House helped Justice Dept craft Fast and Furious public relations strategy By Matthew Boyle - The Daily Caller 1:32 PM 06/07/2012

Attorney General Eric Holder admitted on Thursday that President Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist David Axelrod and the White House are helping the Department of Justice craft its messaging about Operation Fast and Furious.

“We [Holder, Axelrod and the White House] have certainly talked about ways in which we could deal with the interaction between the Justice Department and Congress — about ways in which we would,” Holder said in questioning before the House Judiciary Committee.

Virginia Republican Rep. Randy Forbes pressed Holder further by asking him if Axelrod, Obama’s re-election campaign and the White House were involved in crafting the DOJ’s policy for dealing with press. He said they were. “In terms of trying to get any message out that was consistent with facts and make sure it was done in an appropriate way, I’ve had conversations like that with people in the White House.”

Forbes was pressing Holder on the recent reports that he and Axelrod almost got into a physical altercation in the West Wing in early 2009. Holder said the allegation that he and Axelrod almost fought — before Obama’s senior adviser Valerie Jarrett broke it up — was slightly mischaracterized. Axelrod was reportedly trying to get Holder to hire political staff to influence law enforcement. Holder said the conversation was about a communications strategy, “not hiring decisions.”

“We talked about not hiring decisions, but ways we might improve the ability of the Justice Department to respond to political attacks coming my way,” Holder said of the incident, adding that he considers Axelrod a “close friend of mine.”

[MileHi]

Thanks.

I hope it can’t just be that easy.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.