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Politics behind holding AG in contempt

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    Rep. Peter Welch sounds off

  • Duration 4:15
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-- seven arms over the president asserting executive privilege charging the White House.

An attorney general holder are now trying to block its investigation of operation fast and furious this -- lawmakers work to get to the bottom.

Who -- wide and -- about that gun running -- The house panel voting along party lines to hold the nation's top prosecutor in contempt of congress in the full house.

-- -- to take up the matter next week joining us now Carson Peter -- a Democrat from.

Online who serves in the house oversight committee.

And voted on.

And cast a vote yesterday I congress in Abbas to not hold the attorney general and content to let me start with what we just heard we heard about to sound from Republicans there.

The final Republican that that spoke to say that.

There's a cover up happening are you a 100% confident that there is no cover up happening when it comes to finding out more information about fast and furious.

I've not seen evidence of -- cover keep in mind that fast and furious went over to administrations the bush administration and the Obama administration.

And that committee work has just focused on the Obama administration in fact it's been a refusal on the part of the Republican majority.

To allow us to have the former attorney general Mukasey and to ask him questions.

The second thing is that this is really gotten very political united for aggressive oversight in the use of the subpoena power of congress.

But we've got to have a foundation before you resort to this extraordinary unprecedented fact first time in history holding the attorney general in contempt.

Some of the information that was requested by the committee.

Literally would have required the attorney general to violate the law if he was gonna comply with -- with the committee subpoena.

-- they wanted him to turn over.

The transfer -- grand jury proceedings illegal they wanted him turnover.

Transcripts of applications.

Four wiretaps were illegal they want an information and ongoing criminal investigations.

Improper because it would jeopardize the lives of informants in our law enforcement folks -- this is just an over the top situation.

That frankly could have been worked out.

-- and the attorney general you can always ask for more.

Batiste testified eight times before congress including our committee so there's been this is really in my view put pretty political.

Let let let's talk a little bit more about that when -- your your colleagues congressman Cummings said yesterday that.

That it is political and that there's this insinuation that Democrats do not care.

About Brian Terry and his family and finding out the truth and he was resentful.

And that that insinuation from some lawmakers -- set set the record straight on that I don't congressman -- because there seems to be a at this summer tying a vote to hold the attorney general contents.

As a way of saying that they're dedicated to finding out answers for the -- You don't care about Frank -- and and finding out.

What happened well we do I mean this is a heroic like a law enforcement officer who died.

In a shootout where some of the guns from which were there were part of the spot a botched operation fast and furious so absolutely we all care about that.

But is this the way you think you know this is the politicized and so what are -- and congressmen and what asking you to help that camp.

But the family you know lost there.

Beloved.

Law enforcement officer who is a hero and with -- without content we're not going to be able bring his life back.

What we know here is that this is a botched management operation this is not about corruption this is an operation gone wrong it was poorly managed poorly monitored.

Over the course of two administrations there's not evidence.

That we've seen.

It indicates -- the President Bush -- President Obama has any knowledge of what was going nine.

In fact at the high levels of the Justice Department is not -- there's not evidence to even mr.

Mukasey.

Or I'm mr.

holder knew what was going on.

So -- you know I'd like.

To actually step back take your breath work with the attorney general and get -- documents as they do support.

The effort to get as many documents as we need.

As long -- it's not asking the attorney general to violate the law into.

Say -- overhead I've talked more about that about what additional documents potentially.

The Justice Department can hand over congress and -- it's nice to have you on the program thank you for joining us.

Thank you.

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