House panel: Let courts decide Fast and Furious

pioneer press ^ | 11-21-12 | ap

[TurboZamboni]

WASHINGTON—A House panel said Wednesday it believes federal courts have the authority to decide a dispute in which Attorney General Eric Holder is refusing to provide Congress with Justice Department documents about a botched criminal investigation into gun-trafficking on the Southwest border. In a 65-page filing about Operation Fast and Furious, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said federal courts have routinely reviewed the validity of congressional inquiries. The lawyers for the House said Holder's contention that courts cannot adjudicate political disputes would permanently shut the courthouse doors to virtually all disputes between the executive and legislative branches.

In court papers filed last month, the Justice Department said the courts must defer to the time-tested political process of stepping aside and letting Congress and the executive resolve their political differences.

[TurboZamboni]

"Labeling a dispute 'political' is not a legal argument; it is a talking point masquerading—poorly—as an argument," said the filing for the committee chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. "Federal courts have been deciding cases regarding the executive's compliance with subpoenas since the earliest days of the Republic."

[SierraWasp]

Push ‘em back, push ‘em back, harder, harder... push ‘em back, farther, farther!!!

[NonValueAdded]

Zero Holder’s budget, what is so difficult to understand about the power of the purse?

[ptsal]

...station a video camera outside Holder’s residence.... Just for starters... these folks are liars....

[Trteamer]

Government lawyer in court against government lawyers. let the gravy train roll! I expect nothing to come of it....

[Tupelo]

As I said earlier; Down the rabbit hole, never to be heard of again. Benghazi is next. Then they can all sit around and sing Kumbya.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I haven’t seen or heard much from Issa lately. Is he still around?

[A'elian' nation]

Calling Judge Sirica.

Sirica did more to expose Watergate than Woodward and Bernstein. He made them talk except for Gordon Liddy.

[The Free Engineer]

Is the Justice Department/White House still holding out on a privilege log?

They should be shredded in court without one.

Of course they can't submit a list of documents and reasons for privilege because then they will expose their hands.

Either they will clue the committee into new documents they don't have or if they don't list a document which the committee knows of but doesn't "officially" have it could be bad.

[little jeremiah]

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