With no agreement between House Republicans and the Justice Department on documents related to Operation Fast and Furious, a House committee is set to approve a resolution finding U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over materials subpoenaed by the panel.
"After our meeting, we're on for a Holder contempt vote," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who has spearheaded the investigation over the gun-running operation along the Arizona border with Mexico.
"Didn't have to come to this," Issa tweeted after the Capitol sit down with Holder produced no deal.
As one might expect, Holder offered a slightly different version of events when he addressed reporters in Statuary Hall, where the House of Representatives met from 1807-1857.
"We made to date an unprecedented number of documents," Holder said to reporters, outlining his offer of a briefing on additional documents for GOP lawmakers.
"At least as of now, the committee has rejected that proposal," Holder added.
Holder had hoped his eleventh-hour offer would delay the contempt proceedings, but Republicans said they found his offer to be unacceptable, as both sides pointed the finger of blame at each other and accused the other of playing politics.
Contempt Resolutions Are Not a Political Rarity
While you might think that contempt proceedings against a U.S. Attorney General would be rare, recent political history suggests otherwise.
During the Bush Administration, Democrats in Congress repeatedly threatened Attorney General Alberto Gonzales with contempt as they sought evidence related to the firing of a group of U.S. attorneys.
While Gonzales was not targeted, other aides to President Bush were, as the full House approved a contempt citation against White House Counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten.
Go back a few more years and Republicans - on the same committee that will be voting Wednesday - approved a contempt resolution against U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno in a dispute over documents relating to the investigation of campaign finance questions during the Clinton Administration.
Go back to the Reagan Administration and Democrats in the House approved contempt citations for two top officials at the EPA, Anne Gorsuch and Rita Lavelle.
This is all part of the tug of war between the Legislative and Executive Branches over documents and other information; sometimes there is a resolution at the last minute as the administration turns over materials and sometimes the two sides remain at loggerheads.
So as you evaluate which side is "right" or "wrong" today, remember that both parties have used this power before.
Your own personal beliefs and biases will help you determine who was "right" and who was just "playing politics."
