Darrell Issa Puts Details of Secret Wiretap Applications in Congressional Record
Source: Roll Call
June 29, 2012, 12:06 p.m.
In the midst of a fiery floor debate over contempt proceedings for Attorney General Eric Holder, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) quietly dropped a bombshell letter into the Congressional Record.
The May 24 letter to Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), ranking member on the panel, quotes from and describes in detail a secret wiretap application that has become a point of debate in the GOPs Fast and Furious gun-walking probe.
The wiretap applications are under court seal, and releasing such information to the public would ordinarily be illegal. But Issa appears to be protected by the Speech or Debate Clause in the Constitution, which offers immunity for Congressional speech, especially on a chambers floor.
According to the letter, the wiretap applications contained a startling amount of detail about the operation, which would have tipped off anyone who read them closely about what tactics were being used.
Read more: http://www.rollcall.com/news/darrell_issa_puts_details_of_secret_wiretap_applications_in_congressional-215828-1.html
this is probably the reason they held the vote as they knew DOJ wasn't going to prosecute. Slimey asshats.
updated with GOP nonsense:
Fast and Furious: GOP says wiretaps revealed 'Gunwalking' early on
The Justice Department approved the wiretap application on March 15, 2010. It includes a lengthy affidavit giving details of the case. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) contends that was enough to alert anyone who read it that a massive amount of "gunwalking" was going on. The affidavit describes in detail how ATF agents had surveilled multiple suspected gun traffickers for Mexican drug cartels, but made no arrests or interdictions. Previously, Holder had testified that the wiretap application gave no hint of gunwalking.
"Contrary to the Attorney General's statements, the enclosed wiretap affidavit contains clear information that agents were willfully allowing known straw buyers to acquire firearms for drug cartels and failing to interdict them-in some cases even allowing them to walk to Mexico. In particular, the affidavit explicitly describes the most controversial tactic of all: abandoning surveillance of known straw purchasers, resulting in the failure to interdict firearms," says Issa.
Issa's counterpart on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), today took issue with the idea that the wiretap application disclosed any hint of gunwalking. He says Issa is "hiding key information" from the very same wiretap documents.
"Sadly, it looks like Mr. Issa is continuing his string of desperate and unsubstantiated claims... His actions demonstrate a lack of concern for the facts, as well as a reckless disregard for our nation's courts and federal prosecutors who are trying to bring criminals to justice. We're not going to stoop to his level," said a Cummings spokesman.
more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-57464139-10391695/fast-and-furious-gop-says-wiretaps-revealed-gunwalking-early-on/
nahant
(93 posts)Is nothing but a Capo for the Rich... Al Capone would just love him....
Dakota Flint
(219 posts)So if some congressman during WWII had inserted documents concerning the Manhattan Project or details for the D-Day invasion into the Congressional Record that would have been perfectly legal?
Botany
(70,677 posts).... sent back to the States because he was talking about the invasion in a
pub in London.
BTW welcome to DU. Please remember the secret DU handshake and only use it
when needed.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)tblue37
(65,556 posts)to use "jazz hands" as our secret handshake. Imust have looked so goofy shaking my jazz hands at every DU person I met!
MADem
(135,425 posts)Could it be a regional thing.
iconocrastic
(633 posts)Botany
(70,677 posts)the Mexican drug gangs are brutal and you know they have already looked
@ the Congressional record.
BTW this is also why A.G. Holder could not give Issa all the papers he wanted because their
is an ongoing criminal investigation. Cheney and Rove outed Plame and her contacts were
put at risk and some might have be killed and now this crap?
Bottom line Issa is un-American.
Response to Botany (Reply #3)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
cstanleytech
(26,373 posts)to get away with it atleast as far as prosecuting him goes though I wonder if congress could censure him for it not that that repairs the damage.
Response to cstanleytech (Reply #6)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
cstanleytech
(26,373 posts)Response to cstanleytech (Reply #10)
bupkus This message was self-deleted by its author.
DallasNE
(7,404 posts)Disclosing the accusatory accusations but redacting the response. As Chairman, he is allowed to do this but it is highly inappropriate. And it says nothing about the lax gun laws in Arizona that permits these straw purchases and the inability to get attorney's to accept the cases.
pscot
(21,024 posts)of the DOJ memos. Do we trust Daryl Issa? Not really.
lolly
(3,248 posts)Selective editing to make something look like the opposite of itself?
shanti
(21,675 posts)is inappropriate. he got our former DEM governor, gray davis, recalled on false pretenses, and we were stuck with arnold. what kills me is that he keeps getting re-elected! he's pondscum, just ask us californians!
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)FreeBC
(403 posts)nevermind - wrong issue
SoutherDem
(2,307 posts)This dirtbag is unbelievable.
kitt6
(516 posts)And send his hair dye with him.
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)DOJ. Can someone explain it alittle simpler for me.
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)start back when it was with the Bush administration. Lying bastards.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)The problem is that AZ is controlled by a bunch of gun nuts who don't permit control of guns.
Smilo
(1,944 posts)showing that he has no scruples, morals or ethics.
Disgusting turd.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)ThoughtCriminal
(14,058 posts)Even if he can avoid prosecution, at a minimum he should face a reprimand. Won't happen as long as the GOP controls the house, but Democrats should at least make the demand.