AG Holder Held In Criminal Contempt By Congress In Bi-Partisan Vote

The House of Representatives voted today to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt of Congress and pursue a civil action in the courts. The vote was 255 ayes, 67 nays, and 1 present, with 17 Democrats voting with the Republicans in favor.

Over 100 democrats walked out during the voting in a protest led by the Congressional Black Caucus. In fact, one CBC member, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) even introduced a resolution calling for the House to reprimand oversight committee chairman Darrel Issa ( R-CA), accusing him of having “engaged in a witch hunt.”

Holder is the first attorney general ever cited for contempt by Congress. The charges stem from his failure to provide documents subpoenaed by the oversight committee relating to an alleged coverup of Fast and Furious,an Obama Administration operation that allowed thousands of weapons to be illegally purchased and 'walked' across the border to be sold to Mexican drug cartels. Th eweapons were not electronically tracked, most of them have never been recovered and they have been linked to over 300 murders, including that of border patrol agent Brian Terry.

Rep. Issa closed out the contempt debate by speaking in front of a giant poster of Agent Terry in his Border Patrol uniform.

“We were lied to repeatedly, and over a 10-month period,” Mr. Issa said. “That is what we’re here for.”