Fairfax, Va. – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution holding Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. in contempt of Congress. The resolution passed by a bipartisan vote of 255 to 67.
“Attorney General Eric Holder has a long career of opposition to the Second Amendment,” said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA. "His refusal to disclose what many suspect is another example of anti-Second Amendment behavior has brought him to this historic moment of resistance and shame. The people of this country will not be denied a clear understanding of what transpired behind closed doors over a period of years that sure looks like it is connected to a political agenda.”
Obama administration officials and the Department of Justice openly defied the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s legitimate requests for documents regarding one of the most deadly and disastrous fiascos in the history of American law enforcement, one which claimed the lives of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and I.C.E. agent Jaime Zapata. And in a historically unprecedented maneuver, President Obama claimed executive privilege to justify withholding Justice Department deliberations from a congressional subpoena. The American people and the Terry family deserve the truth in this matter, not continued stonewalling from Attorney General Holder or bogus claims of executive privilege from President Obama.
“The NRA fully supports this necessary, though ultimately disappointing, action to find Attorney General Holder in contempt of Congress. He has stood in the way of justice long enough and the contempt charge is appropriate,” added Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. “The NRA’s support of this historic resolution is born out of our sincere belief that the American people deserve public servants who tell the truth. The Obama administration knows what happened, they've got the papers, and the reason they won't release them is they don't want the American public to know the truth.”
President Obama, Attorney General Holder and other senior administration officials perpetuated the lie that “90 percent” of firearms used in Mexican crime come from the U.S. and seized on the deadly violence in Mexico to promote their gun control agenda in the United States. The White House actively sought information from the operation to support its plan to demand reporting of multiple rifle sales by the nearly 9,000 federally licensed firearm dealers in border-states.
“We applaud this vote and hope it brings us closer to the truth so rightly deserved by the families of Brian Terry, Jaime Zapata, and the American people,” concluded LaPierre.
-NRA-
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalRifleAssociation and on Twitter @NRA.