A group of fed-up House Republicans, who say they are tired of being stonewalled by Attorney General Eric Holder, plan to formally introduce articles of impeachment on Thursday in a bid to remove the nation's top law enforcement officer from office.
Several GOP congressmen have been drafting articles of impeachment over a number of controversies relating to the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawmakers' grievances include Holder's refusal to turn over documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious, the DOJ's habit of selectively enforcing federal laws, and the department's refusal to prosecute IRS officials who allegedly accessed confidential taxpayer information, among other things.
The articles of impeachment also accuse Holder of providing false testimony to Congress, which is a "clear violation" of the law.
Attorney General Eric Holder speaks during the Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. AP
Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) told CQ Roll Call that he plans to formally introduce the charges on Thursday. Further, Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) confirmed the impeachment effort to TheBlaze TV in an interview on "Wilkow!" Wednesday night.
In a statement provided to CQ Roll Call, Olson said Holder has displayed a "pattern of disregard for the rule of law" even after Congress voted to hold him in contempt in 2012. The Texas Republican also released a five-page white paper outlining the four articles of impeachment that will be filed against Holder:
Article I of the impeachment proceedings claims that Holder “engaged in a pattern of conduct incompatible with the trust and confidence placed in him” by refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for documents related to “a legitimate congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that put thousands of illegally-purchased weapons into the hands of cartel leaders, ultimately resulting in the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry on December 14, 2010.”[…]
Article II of the proceedings charges that Holder violated his oath of office by refusing to enforce certain laws that the Obama administration, for various reasons, decided not to enforce, including the Defense of Marriage Act, which the administration deemed unconstitutional.
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Article III also charges that Holder violated his oath of office, this time by “refusing to prosecute individuals involved in the Internal Revenue Service scandal of unauthorized disclosure of tax records belonging to political donors.”
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Finally, Article IV claims Holder “provided false testimony to the House Judiciary Committee” regarding the potential prosecution of a member of the news media, Fox News correspondent James Rosen, using the Espionage Act.
Olson has reportedly gained the support of at least 10 other Republicans in co-sponsoring the articles of impeachment. They include: Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.); Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.); Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.); Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.); Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas); Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas); Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas); Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas); Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.).
TheBlaze TV has more:
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This story has been updated.
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