Another presidential power grab

[ChristianCoffee]

I too remember Reagan and both Bushes using executive privlage and in the case of all three the executive privilage was used to preserve state/military secrets albeit some of it was in that grey shady area. The main difference is that the intent of Obama was to break the second ammendment by creating an artificial gun crisis and therby using executive privilage to cover his tracks. Keep in mind here that Obamas fingers are in this deep and two good agents and 200 Mexican civilians are dead because of a liberal scheme to undermine the constitution backfired horribly and in its wake is tantamount to an act of war against Mexico, treason against the American people AND the Constitution. Not only should Eric Holder be shackled and jailed but Obama should be impeached and tried for treason.

Dravenhawk

I doubt that either of those things will ever happen, though.

[student of the Lamb]

Obama has made use of the executive priviledge only one time but may regret that. If he has nothing to do with Fast and Furious, why would he use executive priviledge unless he actually was involved. Also, if the DOJ has already given up some documents regarding Fast and Furious, there is no way that they can now say that they will not give any more. As for Obama and executive priviledge he is on tape showing his distain for executive priviledge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpwYh9TD6Nc

President Barack Obama: 1

President George W. Bush: 6

President Bill Clinton: 14

President George H.W. Bush: 1

President Ronald Reagan: 3

[Fenris]

From today's NRO:

Hiding Behind Executive Privilege
By The Editors
June 21, 2012 4:00 A.M.

President Barack Obama has long tried to distance himself from the “Fast and Furious” scandal at the Justice Department, which stems from a program under which Mexican drug cartels were allowed to acquire U.S. firearms that were later used against U.S. law-enforcement personnel. By invoking executive privilege to stymie congressional investigation of the case, the president has placed himself squarely in the center of it.

President Obama, who had been a bitter critic of the Bush administration’s use of executive privilege, today through his representatives protested that he is only doing what the Bush administration did before him. The same man who once accused President Bush of “hiding behind executive privilege” is now hiding behind George W. Bush.

Executive privilege serves a necessary function in our constitutional order, reinforcing the separation of powers and protecting sensitive deliberations within the executive branch, and it is especially strong when the president or his closest advisers in the White House are involved in the communication. In this case, the administration has long denied that the president was directly involved. Instead, Attorney General Eric Holder wasted everyone’s time invoking a spurious form of deliberative privilege that was completely decoupled from executive privilege. Such a privilege has no force vis-à-vis Congress. By finally invoking executive privilege yesterday, the president belatedly acknowledged that his attorney general was full of it.

Executive privilege has legitimate uses — and illegitimate uses. For instance, it is not intended to be used merely to protect the president from political embarrassment stemming from grievous errors in judgment by members of his cabinet or officers of the departments over which they preside. There is good reason to believe that in this case the privilege is being abused.

Fast and Furious became public knowledge only when dissatisfied agents within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives blew the whistle on the program after the murder of Brian Terry, a Border Patrol agent gunned down by criminals wielding semiautomatic rifles, at least two of which were sold to arms traffickers with the foreknowledge of the Justice Department as part of the program. Congress has the right to make inquiries of the executive branch in the course of undertaking its constitutional lawmaking duties — for example, while studying whether to pass laws forbidding U.S. law-enforcement agencies to knowingly allow bloodthirsty drug cartels to acquire firearms. In such situations, executive privilege is by no means absolute. The privilege is qualified and contingent. One limiting factor is an allegation of official misconduct, and there is reason to believe that official misconduct has occurred in this case, not least Holder’s conflicting and inconsistent accounts of the case and the presence of evidence suggesting that his accounts have been in some part untrue. Indeed, the claim of executive privilege will only increase the sense that Holder has been more dishonest in his congressional testimony than is already evident.

The case is quickly turning into a showdown between the executive and legislative branches of government, an undesirable development that the president could easily have prevented by simply waiving privilege in this matter (declining to invoke executive privilege in no way diminishes the president’s right to use it in the future) and instructing his attorney general, who is currently facing the prospect of being held in contempt of Congress, to cooperate with the investigation. If the full Congress holds Holder in contempt, it is unlikely that the Justice Department will choose to prosecute the man in charge of it. That leaves Congress with the option of filing a lawsuit to force the Justice Department to comply with the subpoena and release the documents in question. Congress should avail itself of that option. If the case is litigated, the administration will almost certainly lose. In the meantime, Mitt Romney should commit to a full investigation of Fast and Furious should he be elected in November.

Disputes between co-equal branches of government are best settled politically, and, fortunately for the American people, an election is at hand. What we already know about Fast and Furious bespeaks gross irresponsibility at the Justice Department — and an equally serious failure in judgment at the White House, which today has declared that it cares more about its immediate political prospects than about cooperating with a full and open investigation of government actions that abetted the murder of an American law-enforcement agent.

[ChristianCoffee]

From today's NRO:

I guess it may all come out if Mr. Romney is elected president. But I still have that sinking feeling that President Obama will be re-elected.

And, if successful, it may signal the beginning of the end of our great republic as we know it.

[Fenris]

And, if successful, it may signal the beginning of the end of our great republic as we know it.

A lot goes out the window when the rule of law goes.

[Fenris]

Terry family Attorney Pat McGroder on Wednesday released the following statement from Terry’s parents Josephine Terry and Kent Terry Sr.: “Attorney General Eric Holder’s refusal to fully disclose the documents associated with Operation Fast and Furious and President Obama’s assertion of executive privilege serves to compound this tragedy. It denies the Terry family and the American people the truth.”

The Terrys said that their son “was killed by members of a Mexican drug cartel armed with weapons from this failed Justice Department gun trafficking investigation. For more than 18 months we have been asking our federal government for justice and accountability. The documents sought by the House Oversight Committee and associated with Operation Fast and Furious should be produced and turned over to the committee. Our son lost his life protecting this nation, and it is very disappointing that we are now faced with an administration that seems more concerned with protecting themselves rather than revealing the truth behind Operation Fast and Furious.”

[Watchman]

Has anyone found out Obama's rationale for invoking executive privilege? He has to do it in writing and spell out his reasons...and there are only three possible reasons for invoking EP--none of which apply to this case. The only bases for the invocation of the privilege are the need to protect secret deliberations and communications intended ultimately for the president that pertain to (a) military, or (b) diplomatic, or (c) sensitive national security matters.

W

[Watchman]

Hopefully, the above will become reality.

W

[Sojourner55]

Regarding the truth behind Operation Fast and Furious, and the current scramble to cover political butts, here is a good, insightful assessment:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/...ing_apart.html

[Dravenhawk]

Regarding the truth behind Operation Fast and Furious, and the current scramble to cover political butts, here is a good, insightful assessment:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/...ing_apart.html

Great article it really sums it up what the demacrat-socialist-red-diaper-doper-communist-leftist-liberals are up to. Just imagine what what these clowns are going to do to us with Obamacare --- Pray it be repealed.

><}}}*> Dravenhawk <*{{{><

[Bandit]

Regarding the truth behind Operation Fast and Furious, and the current scramble to cover political butts, here is a good, insightful assessment:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/...ing_apart.html

I would recommend to everyone here to read this article (especially the 5 point summary about Fast & Furious).

[Sojourner55]

I agree. A very informative and insightful article that should be read by all Americans.

[poriggity]

Obama is quickly turning our nation into one of communism with power grabs like this.