House Oversight Committee Passes Resolution to Hold Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt [POLL]

The U.S. House Oversight Committee has approved a resolution to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of congress.

The Committee voted 23 for and 17 against along party lines on the resolution, regarding Holder withholding documents from Congress regarding the failed Operation Fast and Furious gun-trafficking case.

Representative Darrell Issa requested numerous documents involving the operation, orchestrated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

The contempt resolution now moves to the entire U.S. House.

President Barack Obama asserted executive privilege over the documents, which are believed to explain the Justice Department’s discovery of problems with Operation Fast and Furious.

Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn weighed in on Obama’s executive privilege claim, saying “The Attorney General and now the President have refused to turn over documents to investigators and failed to hold anyone accountable for his department’s mishandling of Fast and Furious, which led to the death of Brian Terry.

Last week, Cornyn called on Holder to resign from his position, citing his refusal to answer questions on the operation.

Terry was a Border Patrol agent who was killed using weapons that were obtained through the Fast and Furious program by illegal immigrants on December 14^th, 2010 in near Rio Rico, Arizona.

Texas Governor Rick Perry discussed the executive order as well, saying “At the heart of this scandal is the tragic death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent, slain by a drug cartel member wielding a gun placed into circulation by his own government, and it’s unconscionable that President Obama and Attorney General Holder are refusing to cooperate with this investigation.”

Lubbock-area U.S. Congressman Randy Neugebauer also released a statement on the executive order, saying “The White House decision to grant Attorney General Holder executive privilege is yet another example of this Administration’s refusal to behave in a transparent, accountable fashion.

Was President Obama wrong in invoking executive privilege in this case? Let us know what you think in the poll below.