Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                        June 20, 2012

CONTACT:                                                                                                       Apryl Marie Fogel

In Case You Missed It:
 

Congressman Gosar Opening Statement from Holder Contempt Hearing

Being the only member from Arizona on this committee, I find many of the comments, rationale and justifications against this citation distasteful and utterly disdainful to the citizens of this country particularly, those in Arizona and additionally those in Mexico. Residents of these areas will be living with the consequences of the Department of Justice actions for years to come.

 Finding Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. in contempt of Congress is long overdue – but welcome – news for the American people and especially for Arizonans. As I explained in my recent statement, “Mr. Holder has shown his contempt for our constitutional rights, our border, Arizonans and all Americans.  We shall now hold him in contempt of Congress.  115 members of Congress agree that Americans lack confidence in Mr. Holder and his Department.  The people of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas who deal with unsecured borders and violent Mexican cartels on a regular basis now must also live in fear of these firearms. These citizens deserve for contempt charges to begin, because it was with contempt for their safety that this operation was carried out.”

What is perhaps most discouraging is that people whose job it is to protect and promote justice and failed the American people so badly.  We are dealing with the Department of Justice.  The lawyers who work there took an oath to uphold the Constitution.  Yet, from sending Congress a false letter to continued stonewalling, these lawyers have brought great shame to their profession.

I am convinced that holding the Attorney General in contempt is the only way to send a strong message to this Administration and future ones that no one is above the law, including the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

I continue to believe that “Attorney General Eric Holder brought this upon himself by refusing to cooperate with Congress and I believe fully that contempt charges are the appropriate way to go forward.”  I support Chairman Issa and applaud his resolve in moving this process forward

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