Posted on 06/20/2012 8:54:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama invoked executive privilege Wednesday to withhold documents a House committee is seeking in an investigation of a flawed gun-smuggling probe in Arizona.
In a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., a Justice Department official said the privilege applies to documents that explain how the department learned that there were problems with the investigation called Operation Fast and Furious.
At the start of a committee hearing, Issa called the president's action "an untimely" assertion of the privilege. The committee will vote on whether to cite Attorney General Eric Holder for contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the documents.
"The president has asserted executive privilege," Deputy Attorney General James Cole said in the letter to Issa.
"We regret that we have arrived at this point, after the many steps we have taken to address the committee's concerns and to accommodate the committee's legitimate oversight interests," said Cole.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, raised another question after the president invoked the privilege.
"Until now, everyone believed that the decisions regarding 'Fast and Furious' were confined to the Department of Justice. The White House decision to invoke executive privilege implies that White House officials were either involved in the 'Fast and Furious' operation or the cover-up that followed," said Boehner's press secretary Brendan Buck. "The administration has always insisted that wasn't the case. Were they lying, or are they now bending the law to hide the truth?"
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
No doubt this will hurt Obumbler but it may be this Admin chose the lessor of two evils. What is in the now protected docs will cause far more damage then will what now is just an appearance of.impropriety.
The stupid moves are being made by everyone who continues to put up with the ongoing crimes of the gang residing in the White House. On going and going and going. In broad daylight the criminal actives continue.
Not _one_ component remaining with USA and USG is able to even slow the advance of the obvious high crimes being committed.
Looking forward to the day when we won’t have Obama to kick around anymore.
The question they asked during Watergate was, “What did the President know and when did he know it?”
I have seen nothing signed by President Obama. Did he do this, or did Holder assert it, knowing that President Obama would be too wimpy to do anything but back him up?
Not sure but since it’s been reported in so many news outlets I am going to believe that Obama has done this. If he didn’t then I would expect clarification from the WH on this. Since there is no backtracking from the WH I can only believe what has been reported.
So, if Obama invoked Executive Privilege on this, does that mean this is the end of it? Doesn’t Congress have, or SHOULD have, as much power as the President?
The pardon list passed out as they leave the WH will be VERY long.
Holder and Reno go way back.
If I'm not mistaken, the invoking of Executive Privilege can only be done by the executive, Obama himself. Nobody under him has the legal authority to assert EP on his behalf.
No it won't. Big ears can't pardon anybody until after they are convicted. The trials won't start until after the halfrican is evicted fron the Whitehut in January.
“Last time I remember this being invoked during an investigation was, 1972. That one didn’t turn out so well.”
If I remember correctly, the phrase of the day was “What did Nixon know and when did he know it?”
Agree totally. He's admitting involvement from the White House by invoking privilege. This is like castling. You can only do it once, and if you have to do it at all, it doesn't bode well for the rest of the game.
It seems bizarre. Was Zippy involved up to his neck, and hopes invoking privilege will keep a lid on the case until November?
Yes. This will become more apparent as time goes on.
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