The Best Videos From Today’s Judiciary Hearing: Issa, Gohmert, Gowdy, and Chaffetz Grill Holder on Fast and Furious

I had to leave in the middle of today’s House Judiciary hearing, so I missed the best parts. I’m getting caught up now, and am embedding some of the highlights for your enjoyment. Yes, I do think something is going to come of this. Holder is so clearly lying and obstructing, it can no longer be in dispute.

Your first clue will be Holder’s repeated attempts to blame Fast and Furious on a much different gunwalking operation during the Bush administration known as Wide Receiver. If you had taken a shot every time Holder referred to Wide Receiver in this hearing, you would have been unconscious by the end of it.

In his attempt to explain away some damning gunwalking emails, Holder maintained that they were referring to Wide Receiver, after an incredulous Chaffetz had read them aloud, clearly referring to Fast and Furious.

Issa is clearly losing patience with the lies and obstruction – the first attempt Holder made to obfuscate his answer, was met with, “no, Mr. Attorney General, you’re not a good witness, a good witness answers the questions asked. His second attempt to obfuscate, was met with, “Look, I don’t want to hear about …”

I knew there would be fireworks…

House Dems proceeded to circle the wagons.

Rep Chaffetz’s (UT) lethal line of questioning caught Holder in today’s biggest whopper when he read a letter from Jason Weinstein to James Trusty concerning Fast and Furious gun-walking , and Holder tried to pin it on the Bush era “Wide Receiver” program:

“I think we went through this exercise before, that referred to Wide Receiver, not Fast and Furious”, Holder maintained.

“No it doesn’t it says, Fast and Furious….it’s specific to Fast and Furious, that is not true, Mr. Attorney General, ” Chaffetz countered.

Rep Louie Gohmert (TX) has been trying unsuccessfully for over a year to obtain documents regarding the Holy Land Foundation prosecution. The DoJ has disclosed documents to the convicted terrorists in the Holy Land Foundation prosecution, but has not yet disclosed them to Congress.

“When I hear an Atty General of the United States come before us and say somewhat cavalierly, there is a political aspect to this office it offends me beyond belief – your job is justice, Mr. Attorney General. It’s justice across the board, and that’s what’s been so troublesome around here.”

“Why in the world would your department be more considerate of the terrorists than the people who are members in Congress who can vote to defund your department?”

Then Gohmert turned to Fast and Furious, asking if Holder is any closer to finding out who authorized the operation.

Of course he got nowhere with that line of questioning.

Rep Gowdy told Holder, after reading a statement from him alleging that he is singled out for criticism because of he is a progressive;

“I’m not a critic of yours because you consider yourself to be a progressive. I’m a critic of yours because I don’t think the Attorney General of the country should have any political ideology whatsoever.”

Here, Eric Holder admitted he doesn’t know how many people were killed by weapons from “Operation Fast and Furious” (June 7, 2012).

Yesterday, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released new documents that showed senior DOJ officials were informed of gunwalking in Fast and Furious.

Information contained in the wiretaps had been subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee, but the Justice Department had refused to turn them over to investigators. Obtaining them answers some of the questions the Committee and House leadership have warned Attorney General Holder he must fully address to avoid contempt proceedings.

I think it is safe to say that Holder has failed to fully address the questions the committee had for him.

Is a contempt citation next?

CND: Congressman Louis Gohmert Torches Attorney General Holder in Fast & Furious Hearings

Weasel Zippers: Holder Admits Obama Campaign And White House Are Helping Craft Justice Department’s Public Relations Strategy For Fast And Furious…

(Could part of that strategy be to mention Wide Receiver as often as possible?)

Katie Pavlich, Townhall: Mexican Families to Sue ATF Over Fast and Furious

While I’m holding out hope that today’s hearing will result in a contempt citation, others hold a much different point of view:

Sipsey Street Irregulars: Waste-of-Time Hearing Demonstrates GOP Impotence Once Again. In fact, to call this an exercise in limp-dickery is an insult to honest limp-dicks everywhere.

Issa on Greta: Issa’s ‘Fast and Furious’ frustration bubbles over

Must see video at link:

Key quotes: “Multiple members of our committee both career attorneys and members of Congress and have read the wiretaps that were supplied to us by whistleblowers and reached the conclusion that if you read them you knew they knew they were gunwalking.”

“The Atty Gen said I read these wiretaps I do not believe you would see gunwalking in them.”

“He’s willing to be disingenuous in live sworn testimony before the Congress….”

Greta, “Let me cut to the chase, you said disingenuous, did he lie?”

Issa: “Yes.”

Issa said he is ready to set a date for contempt floor vote. Speaking of Boehner, who has to give the go-ahead, he said, “we have agreed to a process, and the timeline for that process is just about over.”

Later he said, “I believe the Speaker is close to the end of his rope…..I’m comfortable that he’ll make the decision relatively soon.”

He expects a decision to be made before the 4th of July.

We will see.