Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told Attorney General Eric Holder today that the Justice Department’s production of a new set of documents might postpone Wednesday’s planned contempt hearing.
Holder wrote Issa yesterday, saying that he’s willing to produce a new subset of documents detailing how the DoJ’s understanding of Operation Fast and Furious evolved after Feb. 4, 2011, when Congress began asking questions about the gun-walking program.
The attorney general also offered more documents on whistleblower accusations and other concerns expressed by the committee.
“While I do have substantial concerns that these documents may not be sufficient to allow the Committee to complete its investigation, delivery of these documents to the Committee before the scheduled consideration of contempt at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, would be sufficient to justify the postponement of the proceeding to allow for the review of materials,” Issa wrote today. “Senator Grassley and I are also willing to meet with you as soon as Tuesday, June 19, 2012. It would best facilitate a constructive dialogue if the Department would produce the documents you have outlined prior to this discussion.”
Issa said he still has “remaining concerns” about the details of the offered documents, including how many pages between February 2011 and December 2011 the department intends to withhold. He also wants a log of the documents to determine if they’re what the committee is asking for.
“Again, production of the documents noted in your letter and outlined yesterday in a meeting with Committee staff would be sufficient for me to justify a postponement of the Committee’s scheduled vote on contempt to facilitate their review and discussions with the Department,” Issa wrote. “I am prepared to announce this delay once the Department produces these documents.”
Never send a Republican to do a man’s job.
I smell another stall tactic by AG Eric Holder and exactly how many deadlines for production of documents have alrady passed? Is Issa trying to look reasonable — produce before the 10:00 a.m. 6/20 deadline or warning the documents better have substance or the contempt vote follows?
This is a necessary ballet. I’ve seen it before — for example, during the Watergate hearings.
Yes, Holder is stalling. But the good news is that he’s doing that now, rather than flat-out ignoring the Committee, as he has before.
Actually…get the documentation….then persecute his ass
Compare Holder’s situation to how aggressively Shellie Zimmerman (George Zimmerman’s wife) was prosecuted over her testimony in her husband’s bail hearing. She gave seemingly honest answers to rather vague questions during the hearing. When the state’s attorney did not like her answers, she was not given more opportunities to change her testimony. Instead, within just a few days she was arrested and charged with a single count of perjury based on some very sketchy “evidence”.
Holder should be held to higher standards than private citizens.
told you so.. issa not going to do anything with any of this.. i’ve been disappointed in him but now i’m beginning to think he’s working for obama.. he’s running the clock out and he’s betting on obama to win in november. man i detest these politiicians..
It figures that Issa is backing down. We need to vote all the republicans out, too, come November. Let’s elect more women conservatives. It’s obvious they have more balls than the men do.
news flash: experts just discovered the letter to issa from holder was a cut and paste job. original sources included letters from iran and n. korea sent to the u.s. concerning promises about time delays in nuclear weapons inspections.
latest update: this info. was ‘intercepted’ from an official w.h. high level, top secret inside source looking for a free ride out of washington and $20. //tic