The full U.S. House is set to vote today on a contempt of Congress charge against Attorney General Eric Holder for not turning over documents in the “Fast and Furious” gun running case. Some Democrats are expected to vote with Republicans for the contempt charge, but Congressman Bruce Braley of Waterloo is not one of them.
“I’ll vote the same way I voted in the committee, I’ll vote against it,” Braley says. “Because unlike most of the people talking about this issue, I’ve actually had the opportunity to view the wiretap applications which are under seal, I’ve had an opportunity to look through the investigation.”
Braley says even though he “has some significant concerns about the way that this has been handled by the White House,” everyone knows a federal judge will ultimately have to look at the sealed documents and determined what should be released. “I am all in favor at getting to the bottom of how these problems developed and the tragic murder that happened with these guns, that is what I have been pushing for, is to get to the truth,” Braley says.
“But it has to be done in an orderly process that respects existing court orders that protects against the release of classified and sealed documents.” The congressman says the contempt vote won’t help sort out the situation. “The contempt vote itself is purely political theater that will not get to the bottom of the problem. And that’s why even if it is passed, it will be referred to the courts, which is where it should have gone in the first place,” Braley says.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, has been at the center of the effort to get documents from the attorney general. Grassley said in an earlier statement that the Whitehouse claim that they’ve provided every document that pertains to the “Fast and Furious” operation is “hogwash.” And Grassley said any accusation that he is seeking the information for political gain is “baseless.”