Walz on the fence about Holder contempt vote–Updated
WASHINGTON - It's not just the Supreme Court's healthcare decision that has Capitol Hill's attention Thursday. The U.S. House will also vote on a motion to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to share information about a botched gun tracking operation.
The Obama Administration and many Democrats in Congress call the Republican-led effort a political witch hunt but some Minnesota Democrats are weighing whether to support the motion.
Seventh District Congressman Collin Peterson told Politico he would vote to hold Holder in contempt while 1st District Representative Tim Walz told MPR News that he's on the fence about how to vote. Walz said Wednesday afternoon that he planned to review documents about the operation the Administration has shared with Congress in order to help make his decision.
"I'm going always, I think, to err on the side of information due to Congress needs to be delivered to Congress and so that's kind of where I'm coming from," said Walz.
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Both Walz and Peterson have been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, which has accused Holder of using the gun tracking operation as a pretext to take away guns from legal gun owners.
UPDATE:
Rep. Walz will vote to hold Holder in contempt. He just issued this statement:
"I've long had concerns about the "Fast and Furious" program. It was poorly conceived, unacceptable mistakes were made, and questions were left unanswered. It is the responsibility of Congress to conduct oversight and to ensure transparency that is needed to protect the integrity of our democracy. To do its job, Congress must have access to all of the information it needs to make independent, sound judgments on behalf of the American people.
"Five years ago, when I voted to hold President Bush's Administration Officials in contempt, I said we have to stay consistent in our oversight of executive branch officials. After reviewing the facts carefully, I came to the same conclusions as I did in 2007. There are just too many unanswered questions surrounding "Fast and Furious," and the American people deserve to know more. Therefore, I will support the vote to hold the Attorney General in contempt for failure to provide requested information."