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LetMyPeopleVote

(145,398 posts)
Sat Jan 7, 2023, 04:01 PM Jan 2023

FLASHBACK: Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder held in Contempt of Congress

Gym Jordan and company are going to "investigate" the politicization of the DOJ and Special Counsel Jack Smith as part of the proposed rules package that McCarthy agreed to. Assuming that this rules package is adopted, any such investigation by Gym Jordan will not be able to do much. Remember the silly Fast and Furious investigation. A tea party-controlled House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed AG Holder who declined to prove all of the requested documents. The tea party-controlled House held AG Holder in contempt



The DOJ declined to prosecute AG Holder for not turning over documents to a tea party controlled Congressional committee


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-department-confirms-it-will-not-prosecute-holder/2012/06/29/gJQAbHgACW_story.html

The Justice Department has told House leaders that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.’s decision to withhold certain documents about a flawed gun operation from Congress is not a crime and he will not be prosecuted for contempt of Congress.

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole explained the decision, which was expected, in a letter to House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The letter was released publicly Friday, just over a week after President Obama invoked executive privilege to withhold the documents.

In his letter, Cole said the decision not to prosecute Holder conforms to long-standing Justice Department practice in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

In May 1984, Theodore B. Olson, then assistant attorney general, wrote that U.S. attorneys are not required to refer congressional contempt charges to a grand jury or prosecute an executive branch official “who carries out the President’s instruction to invoke the President’s claim of executive privilege before a committee.”

In July 2007 and February 2008, Attorney General Michael Mukasey cited the Olson analysis in letters to House Democratic leaders, informing them that Justice would decline to press charges against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and White House counsel Harriet E. Miers, who were held in contempt after failing to appear before the House Judiciary Committee.

Gym Jordan can try to ask the DOJ anything he wants, and the DOJ can decline to answer any questions about ongoing criminal investigations and all the Freedom Caucus can do is get upset.
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FLASHBACK: Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder held in Contempt of Congress (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote Jan 2023 OP
Holder framed the Citation of Contempt and hung it in his trophy room. Marcuse Jan 2023 #1
Congressional Contempt and Criminal referrals really don't mean much... WarGamer Jan 2023 #2

WarGamer

(12,462 posts)
2. Congressional Contempt and Criminal referrals really don't mean much...
Sat Jan 7, 2023, 05:36 PM
Jan 2023

The GOP'ers will thrash busily but in the end it doesn't matter.

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