Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the lawmaker behind the GOP effort to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, pledged Thursday to continue pressing Holder to give up a large number of executive branch documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious.
Moments after the House voted to pass a resolution holding Holder in criminal contempt of Congress, Issa vowed that his quest to uncover the documents, which President Obama has exerted executive privilege over, is not yet over.
“My message to my colleagues and others who have fought for answers: We are still fighting for the truth and accountability – for the family of murdered Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, for whistleblowers who have faced retaliation, and for countless victims of Operation Fast and Furious in Mexico. Unless President Obama relents to this bipartisan call for transparency and an end to the cover-up, our fight will move to the courts where we will prevail in getting the documents that the Justice Department and President Obama’s flawed assertion of executive privilege have denied the American people.”
The California Republican, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, rebuked claims that the vote represented nothing more than an exercise in politics.
“False and partisan allegations by the White House and some congressional Democrats about the Oversight Committee’s efforts were undermined by the votes of 17 Democrats,” he said, a reference to the number of Democrats who broke ranks with their party to vote with Republicans.
The House also passed a civil contempt resolution against Holder.
If Issa stays true to his word, his next step would involve attempting to impeach Holder from office. However, to do so, he would have to go through the U.S. Attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. and the Department of Justice, neither of which is likely to rule in Issa’s favor.
