In the Lies of the Be-Holder

In the Lies of the Be-Holder

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

May 30, 2013

Because of his clear inability to be honest before a Congressional committee do I feel compelled to say liar, liar, pantalones en fuego to hopefully soon to be former Attorney General Eric Holder.

This is the same Eric Holder, who, as Deputy Attorney General during the Clinton administration interceded to help secure the pardon of Marc Rich. Rich “stood accused of racketeering, defrauding the Treasury out of tens of millions of dollars, and trading with our nation’s enemies–including Iran, which Rich supplied with desperately needed funds while Khomeini’s embargoed regime held American hostages.” (McCarthy, A.C., National Review Online, January 21, 2009)

As Deputy AG, Holder claimed to not be familiar with who Rich was or the crux of the case against him. Ignorance was his Holder’s salvation when questioned in 2001 before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Yet it was later proven that not only did Holder know who Rich was, but had the occasion to sue a company controlled by Rich while Holder served as US Attorney for DC as a Clinton appointee.

This is the same Eric Holder, who, as AG has been embroiled in the Fast and Furious scandal. Again, Holder feigned ignorance before the House Judiciary Committee claiming not to know anything about the gun walking operation that allowed American firearms into the hands of so-called intermediaries for the purpose tracking them back to Mexican drug cartels.

Fast and Furious was a botched effort that saw precious few of the firearms returned to American hands. So badly gone awry was Fast and Furious that United States Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was slaughtered in December 2010 and Holder became the first sitting cabinet member charged with Contempt of Congress. There has been no justice for the Terry family.

Enough is enough.

Now Holder has lied to the House Judiciary Committee about, once again, his ignorance. This time in a most egregious abuse of power – spying on members of the press and violating their right of privacy, and dispelling the notion of a free press being able to perform its duties in the independent manner for which they are tasked, and guaranteed via the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, a document with which Holder ought to be familiar.

Holder claimed on May 15 he knew nothing of the search warrants/subpoenas sought to investigate several Associated Press employees as well as Fox News’ reporter James Rosen and an FNC producer. Yet, it has since been unearthed that Holder himself pursued said warrants/subpoenas for e-mails and telephone records, initially being rejected by two judges before a third acquiesced. Such high level investigations require the signature of the Attorney General – in this case, Eric Holder.

Not only were the privacy rights of Rosen et. al. violated, so too was their right of due process by not having been notified prior to such an investigation.

When asked about potential charges of perjury against Holder, US Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), a 35-year veteran of both Congress and the Judiciary Committee said, “absolutely.”

Both Sensenbrenner and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said that to investigate Rosen for a possible violation of the 1917 Espionage Act for doing his job is an outright assault of the First Amendment freedom of the press.

Yet, right there to politicize this entire scandal was US Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) who said that Holder did not mislead the committee. But it was another Democrat, US Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) who asked Holder the damning question regarding his knowledge of the Rosen investigation prior to it becoming public.

There is the FBI affidavit signed by Holder, followed by his denial – hotter than the ubiquitous smoking gun.

Holder has since called this entire controversy a “teaching moment,” to which Sensenbrenner replied, “Because he got caught.”

Now, the fox has been assigned to guard the henhouse – meaning Holder is tasked with investigating the Justice Department – meaning himself. Yep, the Keystone Kops of the Obama Administration.

When The Huffington Post and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, both left of center entities call for Obama to fire Holder; when David Axelrod, Obama’s former senior advisor publicly calls for Holder’s ousting; when The Washington Post and The New York Times have lost faith in the Justice Department, the handwriting is on the wall.

Attorney General Eric Holder either lied to a Congressional committee and the American people or he simply is not in control of the Justice Department demonstrating abject incompetence. Either way Holder must be fired by Obama and then charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for hindering a Congressional investigation.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.