On the recordJune 28, 2012
It is unfortunate that the House must vote on whether to hold the Attorney General in contempt for refusing to produce documents in his Department. The underlying facts are disturbing and tragic, leading to the death of a Border Patrol officer and several hundred people in Mexico. The Attorney General should work with Congress to understand what went wrong rather than to withhold information and attempt to thwart the investigation. The power of Congress to investigate and conduct oversight of federal agencies has been well established throughout our history. The late claim of Executive Privilege made here, on the other hand, is not consistent with precedent or previous court rulings. One can only conclude that the Attorney General, perhaps on the instruction of the President, is trying to prevent Congress and the American people from learning the truth.
