Obama exerts executive privilege over Fast and Furious
June 20, 2012 by Kristen
Filed under Uncategorized
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department says the president has exerted executive privilege over Fast and Furious documents.
A House committee is poised to vote on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over more Justice Department documents on a flawed gun-smuggling probe that resulted in hundreds of guns illicitly purchased in Arizona gun shops winding up in Mexico.
The likelihood of a contempt vote rose after Holder and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., failed to reach agreement Tuesday in a 20-minute meeting at the Capitol.
Issa wanted the documents immediately. Holder told reporters he would not turn over documents on the gun-smuggling probe called Operation Fast and Furious unless Issa agreed to another congressional briefing on the Justice Department material. Holder wants an assurance from Issa that the transfer of the records would satisfy a subpoena from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which Issa heads.
“If we receive no documents, we’ll go forward” with a contempt vote, Issa told reporters.
