Lawmakers’ lawyers suggest fines, jail time for Eric Holder for contempt
Lawmakers’ lawyers suggest fines, jail time for Eric Holder for contempt
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This June 6, 2013, file photo shows U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) more >
By Cheryl K. Chumley - The Washington Times - Friday, October 3, 2014
Attorney General Eric Holder should be held in contempt of court for refusing to release “Fast and Furious” documents in line with a judge’s order — and even given jail time if necessary, lawmakers said.
Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee requested U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to fine Mr. Holder if he doesn’t comply with her own order issued back in August — the one where she said he couldn’t claim executive privilege to keep private certain documents related to the federal gun-running program, “Operation Fast and Furious,” Politico reported.
Mr. Holder was supposed to turn over the documents by Oct. 1. The attorney general has not — but instead, announced his resignation from office.
Lawyers for the lawmakers say the time has come when the judge should consider imposing fines on Mr. Holder, or even throwing him in jail.
“Should the Court determine that the Attorney General has violated that Order, the Court should impose on the Attorney General an appropriate penalty to coerce his compliance with the August 20 Order, including an escalating daily monetary fine against Eric H. Holder Jr., to be paid by Mr. Holder out of his personal assets, converting to incarceration if the payment of daily monetary fines does not produce compliance within a reasonable period of time,” House Counsel Kerry Kircher and other lawyers wrote in the filing, Politico reported.
Mr. Holder had requested a deadline extension to produce the documents a month ago. But lawyers for the lawmakers say Mr. Holder didn’t include all the documents in his extension request — and that he should turn over those ones he failed to mention right away, Politico reported.
The Justice Department said it was baffled by the lawyers’ latest move.
“We’re at a loss to understand this latest stunt since the committee itself did not object to November as an appropriate timeline for the production of any documents,” said spokesman Brian Fallon, Politico reported. “The Department will respond to the motion in due course.”
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