Republicans threaten to subpoena WH official

Congressional Republicans are threatening to subpoena a White House official who declined to speak to them in their investigation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) gunwalking operation: Fast and Furious.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, have pressed, unsuccessfully, for an interview with Kevin O'Reilly for a year. O'Reilly also declined to speak to the Department of Justice Inspector General (IG) who investigated Fast and Furious. Last week, the IG issued a scathing report that criticized many officials at ATF, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney's office and said O'Reilly had declined to be interviewed.

O'Reilly, then a White House National Security staffer, had phone and email exchanges about Fast and Furious from July 2010 to Feb. 2011 with the lead ATF official on the case: ATF Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell. Just days after Newell testified to Congress on July 26, 2011 that he'd shared information with O'Reilly, whom he described as a long time friend, O'Reilly was transferred to Iraq and not available for questioning. Thereafter, he declined interviews with congressional investigators and the IG.

In a letter sent to O'Reilly's attorney Thursday, Issa and Grassley state that O'Reilly's "sudden transfer" to Iraq took him out of pocket in their investigation, and placed him in a position that had already been given to somebody else, raising "serious questions about O'Reilly's assignment in Baghdad (and) the motivation for his transfer there."

• In-depth: Uncovering Operation Fast and Furious

White House officials have said there is no evidence O'Reilly was told about the controversial details of Fast and Furious: namely, that ATF officials were allowing thousands of weapons to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels.

"Given that O'Reilly was the link connecting the White House to the scandal, and that the President subsequently asserted executive privilege over the documents pertaining to Fast and Furious, it is imperative that the American people get to the bottom of O'Reilly's involvement with Fast and Furious," says the letter to O'Reilly's attorney.

It goes on to say that if O'Reilly does not agree to an interview within 30 days, congressional Republicans will have no choice but to "use compulsory process" or subpoena power to require his testimony.

O'Reilly's attorney did not immediately return phone and email requests for comment.

In a related development, a key whistleblower in the gunwalking scandal, ATF Special Agent John Dodson, is demanding Fortune Magazine retract a June 27 article by Katherine Eban, which claimed no gunwalking had occurred. Dodson says the article falsely portrayed him as a disgruntled employee motivated by spite. Congressional Republicans had previously asked for a retraction, but Fortune Magazine stood by its report. When the IG findings were released last week, which included confirmation that ATF had, in fact, allowed massive gunwalking, Eban published a statement that read in part: "The facts presented by Fortune do not appear to be in dispute, but on this point the Inspector General has drawn a different conclusion from them."

The Hispanic news network "Univision" is planning to air an hour long investigation of Fast and Furious Sunday in which it claims to have "identified massacres committed with guns from the ATF operation, including the killing of 16 young people attending a party in a residential area of Ciudad Ju?rez in January of 2010."

[ammo17]

what has to be done is to charge the justice department with mass murder and treason,as well as the atf. they are still finding dead bodies in mexico from these weapons that walked across the border.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

The only solution is to vote out republicans if our great nation is to make any progress.

[ammo17]

21/2 years and we are still not getting the truth and they are s till finding more dead bodies from these weapons.if people would start watching c-span they will see how much the atf and the justice have been lying to conress for over the past 30 months.

[rayward73446]

Darrell Issa, and Charles Grassley have been pushing their wasteful "investigations" now for three years, none of them have found any convincing evidence, but that doesn't stop them from their political witch hunts against the Obama administration. This is just more of the same mentality behind the GOP's promise to make Obama a one term president.
Why don't these two republican assasins do their real job instead of chasing ghosts that really do not exist. Darrell Issa, and Charles Grassley are an embarrasment to America and just show just how petty the GOP has become. From creating fraudulent ballots, to redistricting in their favor to slant the election in their favor to restricting our voting rights in many states, their actions could be considered criminal, such as in the Tom Delay case. We need honerable congress members, not the crooked rabble that the republicans have voted into office. There is noting honorable about Darrell Issa, and Charles Grassley actions.

[rayward73446]

Darrell Issa, and Charles Grassley have been pushing their wasteful "investigations" now for three years, none of them have found any convincing evidence, but that doesn't stop them from their political witch hunts against the Obama administration. This is just more of the same mentality behind the GOP's promise to make Obama a one term president.
Why don't these two republican assasins do their real job instead of chasing ghosts that really do not exist. Darrell Issa, and Charles Grassley are an embarrasment to America and just show just how petty the GOP has become. From creating fraudulent ballots, to redistricting in their favor to slant the election in their favor to restricting our voting rights in many states, their actions could be considered criminal, such as in the Tom Delay case. We need honerable congress members, not the crooked rabble that the republicans have voted into office. There is noting honorable about Darrell Issa, and Charles Grassley actions.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans have shown they place allegiance to Grover Norquist and party over the love of country. Thereby proving they are undeserving of holding public office and shaping public policy.

Think about it. In 2010 republicans campaigned for congress on creating jobs. But what did they do after gaining control of the house? They began the war on women, they cause America's credit rating to be downgraded, they refused to extend unemployment benefits, they refused to allow a vote on President Obama's job act.

They have created unnecessary voter I.D. laws at the state level to suppress the vote of likely Democratic voters. I could go on and on with numeous examples of how republicans have used they public office to benefit corporations, big oil, big pharma and the super rick over struggling Americans.

Bottom line republicans have shown they are incapable and unworthy of holding public office. Now it's up to voters to vote against them like they have voted against us.

[JackFoobar]

All Democrats are Domestic Terrorists and need to be dealt with accordingly.

[rayward73446]

The republican controlled House is the real culprit, and should be voted out of office. They have done nothing, not one thing to get America's economy back to where it be, and you must be a moron to think otherwise.
The Democrats are not stuffing fraudulent ballots in Florida to prove their claims of voter fraud, the GOP is doing that, when no other evidence exists. The GOP is as crooked as they get, and prey on people, such as yourself, who are not really very informed for votes.

[marychgo]

Here's a simple question, Sharyl: why didn't you report on -- or respond to the Fortune Magazine story? It seemed pretty convincing to me; what's YOUR take on it?

[Ben37221]

This same GOP who are now screeming were the same people who supported the fast and furious when the Bush Amnistration started it. All of a sudden just because is a democratic administration, they are now fighting what they use to support. Can someone say hypocracy.
Think about it. The republicans use to support healthcare mandate, now they are against it.
They use to support veterans, now they vote against them.Use to support construction of infrastructure, yes, now they are against that too. If Obama tell the world that at noon time, on a summer afternoon, in L.A, that it is a sunny day. The GOP is going to tell everyone that it is freezing winter day in july in L.A. That is what they have become useless, selfish, self centered group of people who only cares about power. They are willing to burn the country down if that gets them the power they seek. The GOP have become the party of shame and hatred.

[chesepioc]

Fast & Furious didn't start under Bush. Get your facts straight.

[Ben37221]

Here we go again. The same nonsense the GOP did with Bill Clinton, they are now doing with Obama Except this time, in addition to their typical no-good spirit, the GOP is fueled by hatred. They will be consume by their hatred.

[chesepioc]

Breaking international law and a dead border agent are nonsense? Speaks volumes about your character.

[bluejacket2-2009]

Are they serious.... come on America, look at what the Republicans are doing! They don't have time to pass bills in Congress to help farmers and those without jobs but have the time to stick around Capitol Hill to investigate everything from a Democrats hangnail to his haircut... If America doesn't see the politics these tea pots are playing to smear the Obama administration you are blind.. The GOP is poison.

[jillmonterey]

Watch Univision's report on September 30. These are hundreds of dead Mexicans, not "hangnails" and "haircuts."