Gunrunner: Darrell Issa takes first formal step toward charging Eric Holder with Contempt of Congress

  It has been all too long in the making but Darrell Issa finally made the first formal step in charging Eric Holder with Contempt of Congress  for his role in the coverup of Operation Fast and Furious and his stonewalling of the investigation when he distributed his 48 page draft citation to members of the House earlier today.

  Here is part of what is contained in the citation:

The documents allege that the Justice Department has issued, “false denials, given answers intended to misdirect investigators, sought to intimidate witnesses, unlawfully withheld subpoenaed documents, and waited to be confronted with indisputable evidence before acknowledging uncomfortable facts.”

“The Justice Department’s demonstrable contempt for the congressional investigation has inflicted harm on the people of two nations seeking the truth – and very pointedly on the family of fallen Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and ATF whistleblowers who now face retaliation in the wake of their own heroic efforts to expose wrongdoing,”

  Charles Grassley came out swinging today and issued Eric Holder an ultimatum, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way:

The Attorney General is facing a real test of leadership here,” Grassley said in  a statement. “He has a choice to make. He can force the department to come  clean, or he can force a high-stakes political conflict between the legislative  and executive branches. It’s past time to hold accountable those public  officials responsible for our own government’s role in walking guns into the  hands of criminals. The family of Agent Terry deserves more than what they’re  getting from this administration

  Charles Grassley also had some words of praise for Darrell Issa:

The subpoena authority of the House Oversight Committee, and the Chairman’s  willingness to use it, helped shed light on Operation Fast and Furious and the  Justice Department’s desire to allow guns to walk into the hands of Mexican drug  cartels,” Grassley said. “Congressman Issa deserves credit for moving  forward on contempt. The Attorney General and the Justice Department are  thumbing their nose at the constitutional authority provided to the legislative  branch to conduct oversight

    While Darrell Issa deserves all the credit that Charles Grassley is throwing his way, it still remains unclear whether House Leadership (John Boehner) is going to allow Darrell Issa to move this measure forward. I have one message for the man who is supposed to be the leader: if you are unwilling to lead then either follow or get the hell out of the way.

  Operation Fast and Furious has the potential to be  one of the biggest scandal in the history of the United States and if John Boehner is unwilling to lead on this he is unfit for the title he holds.