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HOLDER ON THE ROPES: Attorney General Compared to Nixon's Attorney General in Tense Fast and Furious Hearing
A focal point around which many of the questions asked of Attorney General Eric Holder at the House Judiciary Committee hearing into Fast and Furious, had to do with a letter signed by Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich on February 4, 2011. In that letter, the DOJ insisted it did not allow guns to 'walk.'
Last week, the Justice Department withdrew that letter from the record. Committee members saw this as a very big red flag. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) referred to it when suggesting that Congress may have to start looking at 'impeachment' proceedings.
Your Talk Show guest, Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America was in the audience at the hearing and got to witness the tension firsthand. “Any time a hearing includes references to perjury, felonious activities, impeachment, Watergate, and Joe McCarthy, it's sure to be high drama,” Pratt said. “And it was.”
At one point, Rep. Jason Chaffetz got Holder to admit that the Attorney General has not spoken with President Obama about Fast and Furious. Chaffetz followed up by asking how Obama was qualified to assert that Holder didn't authorize the operation. Holder's response was virtually incoherent and involved some reference to someone else informing the president that Holder had no knowledge of the operation.
Rep. Darrell Issa forcefully asked Holder if the Attorney General would commit to testifying in front of Issa's Oversight Committee in January. Issa also asked Holder if he would produce emails sent and received by the Attorney General after March 1st, 2011. When Holder equivocated in response to both requests, Issa threatened finding Holder in contempt of Congress.
The hearing closed with Issa comparing Holder to John Mitchell, Nixon's Attorney General who was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. Holder responded by comparing Issa to Joe McCarthy.
“This is getting interesting,” Pratt said. “Very interesting, in fact.”
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE HELPFUL DURING SHOW PREP:
http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/08/eric-holder-debates-definition-of-‘lying’-with-congressman/
HERE IS A LIST OF SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
http://judiciary.house.gov/about/members.html
ABOUT YOUR EXPERT GUEST, LARRY PRATT:
Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 30 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their second amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.
GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.
Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Good Morning America, CNN’s Crossfire and Larry King Live, Fox’s Hannity & Colmes, MSNBC’s Phil Donahue and Dan Abrams show and many others.
Larry Pratt has debated Congressmen James Traficant, Jr. (D-OH), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Vice President Al Gore, among others.
Larry’s columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.
Pratt published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995.
Pratt’s latest book is “On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty.”
Pratt has held elective office in the state legislature of Virginia, serving in the House of Delegates. Pratt directs a number of other public interest organizations and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the American Institute for Cancer Research.
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