WASHINGTON. -Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt of congress in a vote on Thursday evening. The criminal contempt resolution was passed in a 255 to 67 vote to hold the attorney general in contempt for withholding information in the gun-walking drug scandal called 'Fast and Furious' from the Justice Department.
Holder is the first member of the President's cabinet to be held in contempt of congress in the U.S. history.
Holder released a statement calling the decision nothing more than a political game waged by the G.O.P. calling the unprecedented vote "election-year politics and gamesmanship," adding that the charges against him were "unnecessary and unwarranted," as recorded by the Guardian.
The vote clearly was passed on strong party lines with only 15 Democrats joining 238 Republicans to pass the resolution.
Darrel Issa, the House Oversight Committee's chairman, responsible for spearheading the resolution told the New York Times, "Our purpose has never been to hold the attorney general in contempt...Our purpose has always been to get the information the committee needs to complete its work - that it is not only entitled to, but obligated to do."
Nancy Pelosi, House minority leader said the vote is clearly a party-based political strategy, calling the vote an "unprincipled" and "heinous act," as reported by the New York Times.
Tuesday, the White House made a plea not to charge the attorney general. The effort failed.
House Speaker John Boehner denied politics saying, "The United States government ran a gunrunning operation that has resulted in hundreds of deaths... The American people have a right to know what happened," as reported by ABC News.
In 2009, the Phoenix division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabaccco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) noticed a large number of legally purchased guns being transported across the border and traced the transfer to a large Mexican drug cartel. The ATF allegedly allowed for 'gun-walking' i.e. permitting the weapons to be transferred in order to locate the cartel in a secret follow and trace method. The inquiry instigated by the House demanded the Justice Department release all information related to the investigation. On refusing to do so, Holder, the attorney general, was held in contempt on party lines.
The congressional panel made their decision earlier this month right after President Obama invoked his executive privilege over the documents. The house later declared that they were willing to negotiate with Holder if the administration turned over some information regarding the gun trafficking scandal that took place between 2009 and 2011. Holder agreed, however negotiations failed.
