BREAKING: Obama Asserts Executive Privilege Over ‘Fast & Furious’ Documents

[ProSense]

BREAKING: Obama Asserts Executive Privilege Over ‘Fast & Furious’ Documents

By Igor Volsky

President Obama is asserting executive privilege over documents Republicans are requesting from the Department of Justice in the Fast and Furious investigation. “After you rejected the Department’s recent offers of additional accommodations, you stated that the Committee intends to proceed with its scheduled meeting to consider a resolution citing the Attorney General for contempt for failing to comply with the Committee’s subpoena of October 11, 2011,” James M. Cole, the Deputy Attorney General wrote in a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) Wednesday morning. “I write now to inform you that the President has asserted executive privilege over the relevant post-February 4, 2011, documents.” The move is certainly not unprecedented: President George W. Bush asserted executive privilege six times during his eight years in office, while President Bill Clinton did so 14 times.

UPDATE

Bush invoked the privilege repeatedly: to block a Congressional committee’s subpoenas for documents relating to the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to reject California’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in the US attorneys scandal that brought down Alberto Gonzales, to prevent Josh Bolten from turning over documents, and to protect Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor and Karl Rove and Scott Jennings from testimony.

UPDATE

Issa on March 20, 2012: “We very clearly want to respect the history of executive privilege.”

UPDATE

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on June 11, 2012: “The only constitutionally viable exception to the Department of Justice`s obligation under the subpoena would be executive privilege. The President hasn`t asserted that privilege, presumably because the vast majority of the documents at issue aren’t related to communications with the White House. Because the documents don’t fit the category of executive privilege, the department is obligated to turn over the documents.”

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/06/20/502802/breaking-obama-asserts-executive-privilege-over-fast-furios-documents/

[Tejas]

1. Hearing: Kucinich FTW, Cummings needs to STFU with his

ramblings and let Kucinich run with it. At least Kucinich is asking pertinent questions as to legality etc, Cummings only seems to be able to complain about partisanship.

[AngryAmish]

2. Does this mean Justice was speaking to the White House about Fasty McFurious?

Why?

[Loudly]

3. The argument that "Bush did it too" seems misplaced.

Unless it reflects the intention of the White House to negotiate a stipulated production of documents which protects ongoing law enforcement operations.

Otherwise, any legitimate distinction between what Bush did and what Obama is doing becomes seriously eroded.

[ProSense]

4. That's

"The argument that "Bush did it too" seems misplaced."

...not the argument. The point is that it's not "unprecedented."

Republicans will do what they do.

[Loudly]

5. When it happened before, did we say Oh OK.

Or did we say WTF?

[ProSense]

6. Doesn't matter

"When it happened before, did we say Oh OK. Or did we say WTF?"

...because the details of each situation is different. The action of invoking privilege is what is not unprecedented.

Five Things To Know About The Republican Witchhunt Against Attorney General Holder
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002806499

[robinlynne]

9. +1

[Tarheel_Dem]

7. K&R

[KharmaTrain]

8. Shades Of "Disco" Danny Burton...

I'm surprised it took Issa this long to find some poutrage to make noise with. He's been looking high and low for the past year to have some kind of confrontation with the administration. Holder's been the target since the day the rushpublicans took control of the House and hope to make him a rushpublican punching bag in the upcoming election. Be damned that no matter what Holder does it wouldn't be good enough...the goal posts constantly move when you're a rushpublican. Few people will know the specifics of the case and this noise will drag on through the election campaign as yet another piece of red meat for a rabid and fetid right wing "base"...