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Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R-S.C.), on the House Oversight Committee finding Attorney General in Contempt of Congress and Obama invoking executive privilege.
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Joined now by congress.
-- -- Member of both the house oversight committee and the House Judiciary Committee and a leader of the investigation into fast and -- congressman.
Good to have you here but let's turn first to -- to the disclosure that a 140 pounds and documents are at issue here.
Rather than what many of us thought was -- 70000.
And what looked like -- -- in agreement by the attorney general as recently as yesterday that he could be forthcoming.
Pending negotiations your reaction.
On Monday insisted negotiating with the blues not a bridge -- -- -- it's not a used -- we're buying of the -- Border Patrol agent.
Thousands of weapons -- America's fingerprints on both sides of the border hundreds of dead Mexican citizens.
And you know there's nothing about attorney general holder is if you wait 24 hours a number may change again it's gone from 70000 to eighty to now 440000.
There issuing -- attractions almost as quickly as the New York Times on statements that they've made in front of other committees of congress so.
Whether it's a 140000.
Well there's 40000 I don't care about and over our care about the completeness.
Of the discovery the completeness.
Of his complying.
It's the completeness to this point is is negligible would you sense of fair construction.
It is the -- a pocket.
Borrowed from -- another moral and legal -- for another language it's been sufficiently to answer your questions.
Every -- I'm privileged to wonder showed US -- wonderful questions most of which I can't answer because I haven't seen all the documents.
Isn't politics of fear or politics and then I'd I'd be smiling and claiming victory because we held them.
The attorney general and picked up the congress it's a sad day for me is a former prosecutor that we had to do this we shouldn't have to do.
I wanna turn to the politics of this in just a moment but first let's get to the amendment that you -- attach to the order today.
And and the import of it and which you also today you -- -- that this president is part of it or he's not and if he's not.
There's no basis for the exactly the claim of executive problem.
Let's -- to have it both ways and at the attorney general says he's never discussed the matter with -- president said he knew nothing about it.
I have no evidence the president drafted that -- February 4 letter I have no evidence the president approved wiretap applications in fact I'm quite convinced he did not.
So he knows nothing about fast and furious that he said no conversations about it.
Why is he asserting executive privilege once prevalent what's what's been sending -- that's prevalent.
So that represented something although.
-- -- twist broad term war for the administration their position in the past have been president knows nothing about it has nothing to do it it.
You know this subpoena was issued in October 2011.
I used to -- cases for eleven.
You don't wait until the day of trial.
To assert your defense.
In fact in most trials if you wait this late you're born you can't you sure defense whether it's alibi or mental health.
Why he waited until the morning of the vote.
To -- something as significant as executive privilege.
I think it speaks to our -- legally.
Insufficient it curious this decision was.
-- the again another retraction as you alluded to by the attorney general from -- statement that he had made.
Are saying straightforwardly that attorney general Michael -- seeing.
Had been briefed about gun walking in that instance the Bush Administration operation wide receiver which again had to -- -- As some of those things that he's add to retract.
The documents and have had to be.
Withdrawn and then reasserted.
With accurate.
Statements.
They're actually very fundamental issues and in it's curious that these kinds of statements would occur because they are substantive than they are important.
Well the -- -- fourth letters were Ross store tells a pretty fundamental misrepresentation.
-- who committed congress took ten months for them to figure out.
That was -- before they went through it.
Now they're alleging that another attorney general -- -- -- that's their defense which by the way stop working -- my house when my kids were five.
Which is what other people are going to therefore justify has been doing here are built what he's trying to do with MacKenzie -- well I'm not the only one who dual -- walking.
My point to that is bring everybody before us that -- -- bottom I don't care what party you're.
You're a member of if you -- about gun walking your your bull -- Republican Democrat.
-- -- congress and tell us a bottom but that has nothing to do with your failure to comply with a subpoena.
-- and congress let's be straightforward here in this has become part of the talking points of the Democratic Party it is no accident that I hear the same inflation between operations.
A wide receiver are and fast and furious.
From democratic surrogates his -- democratic officials.
On this broadcast.
