House committee schedules contempt vote against Holder

(CBS News) CBS News has learned the House Oversight Committee will vote next week on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. It's the fourth time in 30 years that Congress has launched a contempt action against an executive branch member.

This time, the dispute stems from Holder failing to turn over documents subpoenaed on October 12, 2011 in the Fast and Furious "gunwalking" investigation.

The Justice Department has maintained it has cooperated fully with the congressional investigation, turning over tens of thousands of documents and having Holder testify to Congress on the topic at least eight times.

However, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., says the Justice Department has refused to turn over tens of thousands of pages of documents. Those include materials created after Feb. 4, 2011, when the Justice Department wrote a letter to Congress saying no gunwalking had occurred. The Justice Department later retracted the denial.

"The Obama Administration has not asserted Executive Privilege or any other valid privilege over these materials and it is unacceptable that the Department of Justice refuses to produce them. These documents pertain to Operation Fast and Furious, the claims of whistleblowers, and why it took the Department nearly a year to retract false denials of reckless tactics," Issa wrote in an announcement of the vote to be released shortly. It will reveal the vote is scheduled for Wednesday, June 20.

Read the memo and draft version of contempt report (PDF)
Gov't answers CBS News "Fast and Furious" records requests with blank pages
Republicans prep contempt citation against Holder over Fast and Furious
ATF let "gunwalking" suspect go after arrest

Issa says the Justice Department can still put a stop to the contempt process at any time by turning over the subpoenaed documents.

If the House Oversight Committee approves the contempt citation, the matter would likely be scheduled for a full House vote.

For several weeks, there has been closed-door discussions and debate among House Republicans as to whether to move forward with contempt. Some have expressed concern that it could distract from the Republican's focus on the economy in this election year.

Led by Republicans Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Issa, Congress' investigation into Fast and Furious is now in its second year. In the ATF operation, agents allowed thousands of weapons to "walk" into the hands of Mexican drug cartels in the hope it would somehow help ATF take down a major cartel. Some of the weapons were used in the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry at the hands of illegal immigrants crossing into Arizona. Mexican press reports say hundreds of Mexicans have died at the hands of the trafficked weapons. The story was exposed nationally for the first time by CBS News in February 2011.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have called the Republicans' move to find Holder in contempt a politically-motivated "witch hunt."

In 1983, Congress found EPA administrator Anne Gorsuch Burford in contempt for failing to produce subpoenaed documents.

In 1998, the GOP-controlled House Oversight committee found Attorney General Janet Reno in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena on campaign finance law violations.

In 2008, the Democratic-led House Oversight Committee found former White House counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff John Bolton in contempt for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into whether a purge of federal prosecutors by the Bush administration was politically motivated.

Congress went to federal court to seek enforcement of that contempt action, but a compromise was reached with the Executive Branch before any court decision was final.

Update 11:30 a.m. ET: On Monday morning, Issa formally announced the committee vote on contempt, set for Wednesday, June 20. House Speaker John Boehner also released a statement supporting the move, saying "the Justice Department is out of excuses."

"Congress has given Attorney General Holder more than enough time to fully cooperate with its investigation into 'Fast and Furious,' and to help uncover the circumstances regarding the death of Border Agent Brian Terry," Boehner added. "Either the Justice Department turns over the information requested, or Congress will have no choice but to move forward with holding the Attorney General in contempt for obstructing an ongoing investigation."

Update 5:38 p.m. ET: On Monday afternoon, the Justice Department responded to the news of the committee's plans to move forward with a vote on contempt. In a letter to Issa, Deputy Attorney General James Cole called the hearing "premature" due to ongoing discussions between Justice Department staff and committee staff. Cole also offered to meet with Issa, adding that Issa had not responded to previous offers to meet.

"I am confident that the two of us, working in good faith, can bring this matter to a close," Cole said in the letter.

Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler called the Republicans' contempt move "unfortunate and unwarranted" and accused Issa of playing politics.

"From the beginning, Chairman Issa has distorted the facts, ignored testimony and flung inaccurate accusations at the Attorney General and others, and this latest move fits within that tired political playbook that has so many Americans disillusioned with Washington," Schmaler said in a statement.

[shirini1]

Why isn't this guy in jail already? WHY??? This criminal crook has blood of hundreds if not thousands on his hands by this gun running scheme that went awry -- certainly it had everything to do w/ these statist thugs anti-gun machinations -- and now he is trying to cover up his cover ups and threats and intimidations of agents et al. For heaven's sake, what has gone wrong with this country?? This crook belongs in jail, not the head of the USA "JUSTICE" Department.

[seeseesee]

The most corrupt administration ever!.....(..but don't complain, because that would be RACIST!).

[silentgunner70]

Well anyone involved should be brought up on conspiracy to commit murder. Sending guns to mexico knowing there gonna be used in murders and or acts of crime. At least under US law

[RollotheNorman]

We the people are paying the Repugs putting on this clown show $174,000 yearly plus great benefits???? ***?????

[leftcoastrocky]

Representative West needs to either retract and apologize for call democrats "communists," resign or be held in contempt.

[kennyducks]

anybody who thinks that those guns are coming from the usa are fools. show me a gunstore that you can walk into and buy an ak-47,an m-60 machine gun,m-203 grenade launchers,morters,etc. you cant and obama,holder,and billery know this and repeatedly lie thier a@ss off. these weapons are stolen (or bought)from the mex army and from other south american countries. its just another attempt from the lace panty libs to get our weapons. which aint NEVER going to happen.

[moretruthnow]

Those guns are bought right here in America. The Bush administration was concerned about the guns from the U.S. going to Mexico. The plan was devised by the Arizona ATF and called Operation Wide Receiver. Once President Obama was elected his administration was also very concerned about guns going into Mexico. After a meeting and discussion of the problem the Arizona ATF started the Fast and Furious program to sell large volumes of guns and track them into Mexico. Eventually there were prosecutions of a handful of people. It was then and only then that the GOP went balistic with fear that President Obama would use this to limit the sale of guns in the USA. Republican attacks and hateful behavior toward Eric Holder is typical of the way the GOP treats people. They were just as hateful and bullying toward Elizabeth Warren who just wanted the country to have a Consumer Protection Agency. Obviously the GOP was extremely opposed to anything that would protect consumers in any way. To them it all means lawsuits against those who are abusing consumers. To the GOP corrupt companies should not be hindered in any way. That is their reason for detesting regulations and for their anti-environmental policies for their corporate donors.

[TStewartIII3]

NewsBusters: CBS News Falsely Claims to Be First in Reporting Fast & Furious Scandal
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/pj-gladnick/2012/06/12/cbs-news-falsely-claims-be-first-reporting-fast-furious-scandal

[kennyducks]

if it wasnt for fox and talk radio the Communist Broadcasting Service would still be trying to ignore it.

[hillzhavays]

Obama and Holder are responsible for Fast and Furious - if they were aware and didn't stop it, they are responsible.

So why, then, when someone says this, do the Libs come out and say Bush started it? Who cares? They're all culpable and therefore responsible. How is it relevant that Bush's starting Wide Receiver, WR using the same tactics and WR predated FF? They were both wrong.

This sounds like the left ignoring the culpability of their own with the Two Wrongs make a...what? A wrong? Or is the second wrong less wrong than the first wrong?

[hillzhavays]

When hasn't history repeated. That wasn't what I was asking BTW. If you want to go after Bush then do it. I'm just saying "Bush started it" is the standard answer and it's irrelevant. If it continued under Obama or on his watch, he is equally culpable in the eyes of the law - if it is determined that laws were broken, which it looks like there were.

The difference is, Republicans control the committee that can call an investigation, so the Left is crying foul. That's rich, considering they'd love to do the same thing.

[moretruthnow]

Wrong and you will be caught with your pants down with this right wing Fox watching ignorance spread by the GOP for the ignorant people who are their viewers.

[Mike&Deni]

Long, long, long overdue.

[KnowerseekerReturns]

I think most Americans would like to see those responsible for the "Fast and Furious" disaster held responsible, whether they be Republican, Democrat, or otherwise. I know I would, and I'm an ex-Dem independent.