AG Holder held in contempt for withholding documents

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WDTN/AP) - A House committee has voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over Justice Department documents that deal with a gun running investigation. The straight party-line vote was 23-17.

The vote followed a decision by President Barack Obama earlier in the day to assert executive privilege for the first time in his administration in order to protect the confidentiality of the documents.

Congressman Mike Turner is a senior member of the committee. He released this statement to 2 NEWS Wednesday afternoon:

“It is unfortunate that the Committee had to take this action today. Attorney General Holder was given a number of opportunities to provide documents which could shed light on the Justice Department operation which lead to the murder of a federal law enforcement officer. Taxpayers and Congress alike have been stonewalled by the Attorney General in our efforts to bring transparency to the executive department responsible for law enforcement. Today’s vote is a signal that transparency and accountability as a federal office holder are requirements of the position, not options. As the full House has yet to approve the resolution, there is still time for the Attorney General to act. I encourage him to do so.”