Darrell Issa's Political Sideshow..
By louisehartmann
Now is about the time for Republican Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa, to offer an apology to Attorney General Eric Holder. Back in June, House Republicans voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt after Congressman Darrell Issa held a series of witch hunt hearings trying to implicate Holder in the non-existent Fast and Furious conspiracy.
Now, a new report out by the DOJ’s Inspector General confirms that the case against Holder was completely baseless. The report was focused on Fast and Furious and found no evidence of wrongdoing or misleading on the part of Attorney General Holder.
Similarly, there was absolutely no evidence that Fast and Furious was a secret plot to flood Mexico with guns, spark violence, and give the Obama administration good reason to confiscate everyone’s gun, which was an actual theory presented by Issa and other Republicans.
Republicans spent huge amounts of taxpayer money trying to embarrass the nation’s first black Attorney General and the President. Now we know all that money was wasted on a political sideshow.
Comments
#2
Both Issa and Holder are contemptible in their actions. Holder is doing more harm to the fabric of democracy at the moment by his reluctance to prosecute Banksters and Torturers.
#3
Yeah, don't hold your breath waiting for that apology, Darryl Is(s)a crybaby --- literally. The question is where are the right-wing nutjobs who don't trust Arabs, why aren't they saying ignore Issa, you can't trust him?
#4
A US border guard died because of those guns. Somebody should check into how it happened shouldn't they?
#5
jim mcdonagh: Agreed!
#6
watch this movie: because ignorance is strength!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PySCa9wZdf8
#7
They should apologize, but they won't.
#8
I always thought it was a "not-bad innovative idea" that got out of control. At worst some poor judgenent -- not something to make a Federal case out of. Now I find it wasn't even that?
Have they no shame?
#9
No. A US Border Guard died in the line of dangerous duty, because someone shot him -- it's a streatch to link causality all the way back to a gun-traffic tracing tactic. "Guns don't kill people; people do." Right?
#10
HELL NO THEY WONT!! They don't think they do anything wrong so why say your sorry. BUT JUST acuse them of wrong doing and see what happens. ALL HELL BREAKS OUT! HYPOCRITES they are!!!
#11
true but "if guns are outlawed, outlaws will still have guns". I just can't beleive all those guns left government hands into bad guys hands and no one is held accountable.
#12
Issa won't apologize any more than he did after falsely accusing ACORN of wrong doing. Issa is a rich guy who loves pulicity. Unfortunately, he is in a safe district.
#13
Why do think no one has been held accountable?
#14
The Republicans have no shame. They had their day in the news and will not print a retraction. They do not have the best interests of the nation in their hearts. The Republican leaders in Congress and in several state legislatures are behaving as though they are a domestic terrorist organization rather than elected officials living up to their sworn duty to serve the people. They want to cram their opinions on the public even if the majority do not want their views.
#15
The Republicans will do almost anything to make Obama look bad, and they do not have to try too hard. He is not the president I voted for; he acts more like a Republican when it comes to civil rights and creating wars. The Democrats will do almost anything to make Romney look bad and he is doing a great job of doing that on his own. The Dems and Repubs act more like the Sunni and Shite characters in the Middle East each election cycle. They just are not blowing each other up (not yet!) physically, just politically. I am sick of hearing about the whole damn thing. The only good thing about the Democrat President Obama is he is not as evil as Romney, but he is running a close second. I would not vote for Obama he has failed to keep his promises to the people who elected him, but Romney will do even more harm to the working middle class then Obama. It is a sad day when we have to vote for a guy because he is less evil then his opponent. I know I would rather vote for the Green Party candidate, Dr. Stein this year. And after learning more about the NDAA, I just might vote for the person I would rather see in the White House, Stein. I live in California and this state will overwhelmingly vote for Obama and my vote is not needed to keep our electoral votes from going to Romney! Obama has just been such a liar about transparency in the White House and has been eroding our civil rights because he fears his administration might be blamed if something goes wrong because of a terrorist attack, that he is willing to sacrifice our rights for his record. Like I said hell of a choice this time around! Good luck in sleeping well if you have to vote for Obama. Long live the Republic and long live Democracy.
#16
No, they KNEW it was wrong and thought they'd get lucky. They didn't and will not apologize for not accomplishing their goal. Why can't the AG "cleanse" this country of these Paul Weyrich "New Rights"?
Ok, Thom or Anyone....Please answer this question:
If George Romney was born in Mexico...how can Mitt be an American citizen without Citizenship Papers?
Where are his taxes........What is his "A" number on his Citizenship document - if he even has one??
Or...Where is George Romney's Citizenship documents? Could he have become a Governor w/o being a citizen? That would be a real laugh!!
#17
Issa is a contemptible felon who works for the rich.
He is typical of the Republican Party -a party of hypocrites, liars and voluntary autistic wanna-be's. Terrible and damaging as they are, I agree with the above, that the democrats barely hold the high ground in this swamp of corporate interests and domination. After a World War to fight facism it seems we have finally succumbed to it.
President Obama has assasinated U.S. citizens without due process. He has not prosecuted war crimes -which is in itself a war crime. That to me is an impeachable and prosecutable offense, but then Attorney General Holder would never prosecute such crimes. Too bad.
Romney is the laughable but terribly dangerous wet dream of the Republicans. He IS more dangerous than the President or the President's party. As such I will vote for Obama until we hopefully find someone to protect the people's interests. And hopefully this republic will somehow last that long.
#18
Republicans never apologize because they are never wrong.
#19
The Justice Dept. clears Holder of wrong doing??? Why did Obama issue an Excutive Order to withhold documents about Fast and Furious from the Issa committee? This reeks to high heaven. Thousands of automatic weapons were released with the blessing of the DOJ. Those are people killing guns, not for deer hunting. If Holder didn't know about what was going on in his department, he needs to be fired.
I'm nearly 60 and for the first time in my life I'm voting Republican in November. Our country needs to get back on track.
#20
Typical"John Wayne" Mentality.
"Never apologize for anything, it's a sign of weakness"John Wayne was an unamerican, racist, homophobe, draft dodger, who tried to instill a "code of honor"in others, while he had none of his own.
#21
Will they appologize? Are you kidding me? The all-or-none folks are a flawed and ethically bankrupt as their agenda. In their microcausim, their everchanging, ever evolving ends is justified by whatever underhanded means they can lay their hands on. They've transcended the bounds of misguided and ludicrous -- going directly to willfully definant for the sake of defiance. We're trying to build a democracy faster than they can tear it down.
#22
Apologize? You must be kidding! Fox just ran a piece repeating the same old lies without mentioning the Inspector General's report.
#23
Jesus, Beezus! Don't vote for Romney! Vote for Jill Stein if you are not happy with Obama. Voting for either Obama or Romney will just add to the problem. The problem is the two party system is crooked and corrupt. Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum. I voted for Obama the first time and will not do so again because he is owned by the same rich people that owns Romney.
Romney is a disgusting opportunistic spoiled brat that was born rich and got all the breaks like baby Bush did. And Romney has only proven to us that he can make rich people richer by destroying jobs. Romney will only accelerate the trashing of this country for most of us...and make it a banker's paradise for the top few.
We are all headed down the road of indentured servitude to be serfs or paupers...bums begging in the streets. We need to revolt against the system as it is now. It would be much better to try something new for a change..like radically change the stranglehold of a corporate owned two party system by throwing the bums out and electing Jill Stein. Otherwise we are headed for a violent revolution, I'm afraid. Electing Romney for President will usher in those massive violent demonstration much sooner. Electing Obama will see the massive violent demonstrations later...as the hope that he pandered peters out once again. Electing someone from outside of of the Republican/Democrat organized criminal syndicate will show them that the people will not be herded, like sheep, by rich people corrupting our elected officials. It would send a shock to those crime lords that they might yet, someday, see imprisonment and all their ill-gotten gains taken away and returned back to the commons.
I agree that the Obama administration and Holder stinks to high heaven. Obama and Holder will only prosecute the criminals who practically turn themselves in, like Bernie Madoff but won't go after the really big criminals. But part of the problem is that many of the records that were being investigated before 911 were destroyed on that date..both the WTC towers and the Pentagon...very suspect. Coincidence? I think not.
#24
Hey Pal. I agree with what you are saying. Reps/Dems two talking heads, one body. Koch Bros/Soros, pick a gazillionaire. However, a vote for Jill Stein isn't going to stop Obama. And in my opinion, he's got to go. Look up the latest Ulsterman report.
I also hear you on the WTCs.
Oh, and rereading this article I noticed Thom, whom I sometimes agree with, had to point out that Holder is our first black Attorney General. Huh? What the heck does that mean?
#25
You guys have got to be kidding! Anyone who believes the WTC's were brought down by people who have or had something to hide is just left of paranoia! You guys sound crazier every time I hear your theory. I will not elaborate on the subject; you just can't keep paranoids from believing fiction. It does not matter what the subject is about, you guys bring it back to the same old paranoid scenario. Must be really spooky inside your mind! Do you two constantly check outside from your windows to see who is watching you or wear a tin foil cover on your head to keep yourself safe from mind control? Sorry, but you guys are a little bit too far from center to be seen as normal. Have you ever been on the inside of a spaceship and been abducted for experiments! ha...Don't worry I am sure you will get your chance, unless the goverment crashes a jet into your home to keep you from informing the world of what really happened on 9/11.........
#26
They already did that - you missed reading all the news.
#27
First there was no "case against Holder", the Over-site committee was seeking answers which Attorney General Eric Holder refused to give. He lied under oath to congress, he refused to comply with subpoena's served. He "IS" in contempt of congress. The author of this article may be a professional dis-information monger. None of the statements in this article are factual. The only apology necessary is the one from Eric Holder to the American People.
#28
That means it is not politically correct to hold a black man in contempt it is racist. The race card is always played by the dis-information from the left. Racism would be merely a distant memory if it was not continually regurgitated by the left each time they need to distract from the subject at hand.
#29
Where would you find any factual data to prove what you say?
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
From Unequal Protection, 2nd Edition:
"Hartmann combines a remarkable piece of historical research with a brilliant literary style to tell the grand story of corporate corruption and its consequences for society with the force and readability of a great novel."
From Cracking the Code:
"No one communicates more thoughtfully or effectively on the radio airwaves than Thom Hartmann. He gets inside the arguments and helps people to think them through—to understand how to respond when they’re talking about public issues with coworkers, neighbors, and friends. This book explores some of the key perspectives behind his approach, teaching us not just how to find the facts, but to talk about what they mean in a way that people will hear."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Right through the worst of the Bush years and into the present, Thom Hartmann has been one of the very few voices constantly willing to tell the truth. Rank him up there with Jon Stewart, Bill Moyers, and Paul Krugman for having the sheer persistent courage of his convictions."
I'm sorry if I don't hold my breath for that apology....