In a classless display of partisan rhetoric, on Thursday Rep. Nancy Pelosi blasted House Republicans’ contempt vote of Attorney General Eric Holder over Fast and Furious, referring to it as “a shameful display of an abuse of power.”
Wednesday Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to find Eric Holder in contempt for his refusal to release documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal that resulted in the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
Failing to note the tragic death agent Terry, on Thursday Pelosi gave other excuses she deemed to be the real reason for the House Oversight Committee’s contempt vote, including Holder’s quest to stop Voter ID laws, and made subtle reference to favorite enemy of the Left, the Koch brothers.
“These very same people who are holding him in contempt are part of a nationwide scheme to suppress the vote,” she said. Continuing her smear of Republicans Pelosi also accused top GOP donors as being part of this “scheme.”
Frederick R. Hill., a spokesperson for House Oversight Committee Committee Chair Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), condemned the former Speaker of the House’s remarks to the Associated Press, saying “For minority leader Pelosi to dismiss this tragedy and say the investigation is really about voter suppression is offensive and wrong.”
Pelosi is not the only person with bizarre theories as to why the GOP is holding Eric Holder in contempt of court. MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews has also said that his instincts lead him to perceive this as GOP racism and compared the questioning of Holder to an incident of stop-and-frisk.
Earlier in the day on Wednesday, President Obama claimed Executive Privilege over the remaining Fast and Furious documents, temporarily preventing further investigation into that area of the scandal. However, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday the House of Representatives will continue with a scheduled contempt vote for Holder next week over his refusal to procure the documents prior to Obama’s call for Executive Privilege.
Holder will likely be held in contempt by the Republican controlled House, however the legal proceedings will undoubtedly stop there as the Justice Department, which Holder runs, would be the party responsible for further pursing the matter. The House could also pursue other avenues such as taking the case to court or ordering Holder’s arrest, but as legal scholar Josh Chafetz argues in The Washington Post additional action is unlikely.
Francesca Chambers contributed to this report.
