“I don’t know, I wasn’t involved, I don’t know why, I don’t know who, I can’t remember”. “I’ll take things I don’t know shit about for 1000 dollars, Alex.”
Testifying under oath doesn’t faze a pathological liar.
ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER: “There’s been a lot of criticism. The head of the RNC asked for my resignation. I was not the person involved in that decision. But be that as it may, I was recused in that matter as I described in a press conference held yesterday the decision issued the subpoena was made by the people involved in the case.”
Blame the Deputy Attorney General:
“I’m trying to find out who authorized the subpoena,” Rep. Sensenbrenner said. “You can’t tell me if Deputy Attorney General Cole authorized the subpoena. Somebody had to authorize the subpoena because the code of federal regulations is pretty specific that this is supposed to go as close to the top as possible.”
“No, what I’m saying is that I can’t say as a matter of fact,” said Holder. “I have to assume, I say I would probably 95%, 99% certain the deputy attorney general acting in my stead was the one who authorizes the subpoena.”
A little bit later, Holder said, “Let me say this: I’ve been given a note we have confirmed that the deputy was the one who authorized the subpoena.”
I don’t know why the subpoena was so broad:
“I’m not aware of why the subpoena was constructed the way it was,” he says.
Goodlatte asks why, in accordance with regulations, the AP was not informed about the intent to seize the phone records.
“There are exceptions to that rule, but I do not know with regard to this particular case why that was not done,” Holder says.
“I do not know.”
I don’t know who signed the subpoenas:
James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, asks about the AP case. He asks who signed the subpoenas. Was it James Cole, the deputy attorney general?
Holder says he assumes so. Holder recused himself because the FBI had interviewed him about leaks. Sensenbrenner wants to know if Cole was interviewed as part of the same case.
Holder says Cole probably was interviewed too, but “I’d say 95, 99% certain that the deputy general acting in my stead was the one who authorized the subpoena.”
Now Sensenbrenner is going to bat for the AP. The code of regulations says the DoJ should inform the press about the seizures of phone records. Why didn’t that happen?
“That I don’t know,” Holder says. “There are exceptions if the integrity of the investigation would be impacted. I don’t know why that didn’t happen.”
Holder has received a note.
“We have confirmed that [Cole] authorized the subpoena,” he announces. Progress!
“Well I think we’re going to have to talk to him about this,” Sensenbrenner says.
Howard Coble, R-NC, asks Holder about Benghazi.
He begins by quoting from Hillary Clinton’s February testimony about Benghazi. He asks Holder for an update on the search for suspects.
“I can’t be definitive,” Holder says. “Other than to say that we’ve taken steps that are definitive, concrete.”
Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Alabama, takes the baton from Lofgren in hammering Holder on the AP case.
On what day did you recuse yourself?, he asks.
“It was towards the beginning of the matter,” Holder says.
Was there a memo or email when you recused yourself, Bachus asks. Did you alert the White House?
“I would have told [Cole]” Holder says.
Do you not do that formally, or in writing? Bachus asks.
Holder: No.
How dare you question my shameful behavior, you shameful Congressman:
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, is up. He goes after Tom Perez, the labor secretary nominee.
Issa plays a voice recording from Perez in which, he says, Perez engages in horse-trading with cases the justice department will allow to go to the supreme court. Issa asks Holder whether he thinks Perez’ message is appropriate behavior.
Holder says he’s not sure he’d agree with Issa’s characterization of the message.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, interrupts with a point of parliamentary order, questioning the introduction of the voice recording as evidence. She goes back and forth with Goodlatte.
Eventually Issa wrestles the floor back. He shoots Holder another question about Perez, and then talks over the attorney general as he tries to answer.
Holder: “I won’t stop talking.”
Issa asks Goodlatte to “inform the witness” about the committee rules.
Holder accuses Issa of “shameful” behavior in not allowing him to speak: “It’s consistent with the way you conduct yourself as a member of Congress. It’s unacceptable and it’s shameful.”
—-Says the assclown who doesn’t have the decency to be ashamed of his own malfeasance.
It’s easy for others to criticize the criminal activity of the DOJ:
Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Virginia, holds up a picture of Tyrone Woods, one of the security contractors for the CIA who was killed in Benghazi.
Forbes then holds up a picture of Brian Terry, the US border patrol agent killed with an illegal gun tied to the justice department’s Fast and Furious operation.
Forbes has a question: is there anything the heads of these agencies should have done beforehand?
“Hindsight is always 20/20, and it’s easy to sit up where you are and do that,” Holder says.
Holder won’t discuss anything pertaining to the crimes committed by his own agency:
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is…frustrated that the attorney general can refuse to discuss any case that is subject to a criminal investigation.
We don’t want to intimidate whistleblowers…*wink*, *wink*:
One more Republican from Texas, Rep. Blake Farenthold. He reads the New York Times and wants to know what Holder thinks about the paper’s assessment that the seizure of AP phone records could put a chill on potential whistle-blowers.
“The justice department does not want its actions to chill sources,” Holder says.
Yeah right. Tell that to the Fast and Furious whistleblowers, asshole.
Rep Doug Collins, R-Georgia, asks Holder to acknowledge that the judiciary committee has oversight over the department of justice.
Holder replies that he didn’t exactly come to the hearing by choice.
Collins accuses Holder of being unprepared. He asks Holder whether he anticipated the question about how and when he recused himself in the investigation of the seizure of AP phone records.
Holder says he didn’t anticipate the question, which sends Collins into hysterics. How could Holder possibly not have anticipated the question.
“I didn’t know whether or not you were going to ask the question, but I thought it was an important one,” Holder says.
He then launches into a philosophical discourse on partisanship in Washington.
“This isn’t always a pleasant experience,” he says, referring to Hill testimony. “I don’t feel like I’ve always been treated with respect. It’s not a personal thing… but I’m the attorney general… You and I have never met… I’m not talking about you.
“There’s almost a toxic partisan atmosphere here where basic levels of civility don’t exist.”
You ought to talk to your boss about “basic levels of civility”.
The hearing adjourned at about 17:15hrs local.
He’s got the same narcissistic, arrogant contempt for the law as Obama. Too bad they didn’t tear him enough of a new asshole.