“Unfortunately, Chairman Issa has rejected all of these efforts to reach a reasonable accommodation. Instead, he has chosen to use his authority to take an extraordinary, unprecedented and entirely unnecessary action, intended to provoke an avoidable conflict between Congress and the Executive Branch. This divisive action does not help us fix the problems that led to this operation or previous ones and it does nothing to make any of our law enforcement agents safer. It’s an election-year tactic intended to distract attention — and, as a result — has deflected critical resources from fulfilling what remains my top priority at the Department of Justice: Protecting the American people. (Eric Holder/DOJ release)
CHICAGO, June 21, 2012 — There is no limit to Eric Holder’s extraordinary arrogance and amazing self-aggrandizement. “Hubris” is the word that comes to mind. Holder should remember that pride goeth before the fall.
And that his hubris may cause him to fall a long, long way.
The American people deserve better. We need a Justice Department that is focused on and committed to protecting the safety, rights, and best interests of the American people. We need an Attorney General who is an honest competent steward.
Holder is solely focused on and committed to protecting the reelection of President Obama.
Only something is rotten in Denmark. After the president gave Holder cover by invoking executive privilege, Holder immediately flew to Denmark. From Denmark he issued a statement that he is still willing to negotiate to avoid a constitutional show down.
Why he thinks he should negotiate from Denmark is beyond comprehension. Nothing in Denmark is more important than the mess he created here.
The Operation may have been called Fast and Furious but Holder’s response, investigation, and transparency are slow and curious. The longer this goes on the more curious people are.
Fast and Furious became public almost a year and a half ago, the American people know less about this disastrous operation, and have far more questions, now than they did when it broke.
For eighteen months Holder diddled and dawdled, hoping Fast and Furious would go away. Then he involved the White House in his problems. The Attorney General may be found in contempt of Congress next week.
President Obama invoking executive privilege serves to keep the public in the dark about Fast and Furious. That alone is extraordinary and amazing. It is illogical. It absolutely makes no sense except.
The more Fast and Furious is covered up, the more Holder stonewalls, the more people want to know. There is no honest reason why the internal investigation into Fast and Furious has taken this long. It is a simple question: Who approved, implemented, executed, and managed this fiasco? The people and Congress just want answers to those simple questions.
Holder has the answers. He stubbornly refuses to be honest, forthright, and transparent. So just who is he protecting and why?
What began as a dumb decision by bumbling bureaucrats has turned into an ongoing political soap opera.
This whole dilemma could and should have ended months ago with very public firings and punishments of those who could not be fired. There should have been an honest and full public report, and the Attorney General should have testified truthfully to congress on the facts of the case and the decisive actions he took.
There is only one person to blame for Fast and Furious. That person is Eric Holder. He brought the blame on himself. Who is he covering up for? Who is so important that the president has to invoke executive privilege compounding the cover up and stonewalling?
The Fast and Furious scandal is not about the right of the president to invoke executive privilege. It is not about Congress’s right to oversight and investigation. It is not about Darrel Issa, Barack Obama, or Eric Holder. This issue is not about political warfare between Democrats and Republicans.
This issue is about responsibility, accountability, and truth.
Holder is under fire from all quarters. And it is embarassing for the American public.
So what does this Attorney General do? He flies off to Denmark after giving the executive privilege finger to the American people.
While the public, families of two slain agents, and Congress seek answers, Holder is in Denmark. Perception is reality. Perception is Holder does not want to negotiate anything. If he were serious about cooperating he would be here hammering out a cooperation deal.
If Operation Fast and Furious was an ill conceived mistake, a tragic oops, people would understand.
If Holder responsibly did his job and held the people responsible accountable, the American people would have forgiven and forgotten. After a few days the headlines people would move on to relevant things like the economy and jobs.
But Holder keeps procrastinating, covering up and stonewalling. His handling of Operation Fast and Furious constitutes political malpractice and ethical malfeasance of the highest order.
As AG Holder has spent his time playing politics with every action calculated in political and ideological terms. Holder is the most politically ideological Attorney General in recent history.
The Department of Justice should be renamed the Department of Progressive Politics.
Who cares about people’s lives when there are votes to be gathered?
Lets not forget that lost in the political warfare are the murders of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and ICE Agent Jaime Zapata. To those brave law enforcement agents Holder only gives lip service.
No matter how this plays out, Holder has lost all credibility and the confidence of the American people, the people he is supposed to protect.
Peter V. Bella is a retired Chicago Police Officer, freelance journalist and photojournalist, cook, and raconteur. He likes to be the irreverent sharp stick that pokes, prods, and annoys. His opinions are his and his alone. Mr. Bella is a member of the National Press Photographers Association and the Society for Professional Journalists.
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