GOP Calls for Holder’s Resignation Over investigation They Demanded

[ProSense]

GOP Calls for Holder’s Resignation Over investigation They Demanded

by Mark Lippman

It was predictable.

A year ago when Republicans in Congress demanded an investigation into leaks of sensitive information to the press, allegedly from inside Obama’s administration, the President could have responded with the use of his two middle fingers, both of them standing straight up.

Instead, he took the bellowing of Republicans seriously, and he went all in to discover the source of the leaks that were causing so much concern.

Here’s what the President said:

“Since I’ve been in office, my attitude has been zero tolerance for these kinds of leaks and speculation,” Mr. Obama said at a news conference. “Now we have mechanisms in place where, if we can root out folks who have leaked, they will suffer consequences. In some case, it’s criminal. These are criminal acts when they release information like this. And we will conduct thorough investigations, as we have in the past.”

There was a reason why the President needed to demonstrate his serious intent. These weren't just any leaks. The Republicans were accusing the President of instigating the leaks to get favorable press coverage in return.

Today, Reince Priebus called for Attorney General Eric Holder’s resignation because the President kept the promise he made about a serious investigation.

"Because Attorney General Holder has so egregiously violated the public trust, the president should ask for his immediate resignation. If President Obama does not, the message will be unmistakable: The President of the United States believes his administration is above the Constitution and does not respect the role of a free press."

For the sake of sanity, it's never a good idea to pay attention to everything that gives Republicans a bellyache. Last year, when they were howling about security leaks designed to make the President look good, it sounded something like dogs barking at the moon. Bin Laden was dead. What did they mean about making the President look good?

When every Republican in Congress had taken his shot at the President and they all agreed that they had never seen anything so egregious as these security leaks, they called for an investigation by a special prosecutor.

Attorney General Holder appointed Ronald C. Machen, the United States attorney for the District of Columbia, and Rod J. Rosenstein, his counterpart in Maryland, instead, to take over direction of existing investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Senators McCain and Graham complained in a joint statement that Holder wasn't taking the need for an investigation far enough.

"This investigation involves some of the most serious breaches of national security in recent memory and any investigation must be done in a manner free and clear of political considerations. The recent decision of the Attorney General falls far short of what is needed and is not an adequate substitute for an outside special counsel."

Now we learn that the investigation has been taken too far with the collection of phone records with two months of calls made by Associated Press reporters. Unless the source of the leaks is identified, the President can still be accused of encouraging them himself.

Would it have been more noble for the President to take the heat for the sake of the First Amendment? That's a tough call. It isn't just the President taking the heat. It's the 66 million people who voted for him, too. Their choice is being disrespected by the Republicans as much as anything.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/14/1209157/-GOP-Calls-for-Holder-s-Resignation-Over-investigation-They-Demanded

Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza

Recap: GOP calls on Holder to investigate leaks. Holder appoints US Attorney. US Att. subpoenas AP records. GOP calls on Holder to resign.

h/t Cha


Leaks could sink Obama Whitehouse (2012)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022843810





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[Tx4obama]

1. K&R :) n/t

[kwassa]

2. They don't dare go after the top black man, so they go after Holder and Rice ....

You know what the real source of Republican hatred is.

[freshwest]

4. Exactly. Predictable everyday. You'd think they'd learn. But nooo...

And some march in the same parade, as predictable as the GOP. Just what gives here?

[spanone]

3. i expect the house to impeach Obama on some charge before his term ends.

that's all republicans have. period. they are a sad and mean lot.

[Cha]

5. To all bullshit goprick operatives..

[calimary]

6. Works for me!!!

[ProSense]

7. And you have

some people bending over backward to out do Republicans in hyping this. Reminds me of...

Watergate plus Iran-Contra times 10!!!!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022826668#post1

[MineralMan]

8. So do some DUers.

I'm for waiting a bit before jumping on bandwagons, frankly.

[Cha]

11. I got my own bandwagon.. it's

called reality.

[maddezmom]

9. Not just GOP'ers

Lots of DU'ers feel the same way.

[ProSense]

10. And the media. Go to

the link at "Leaks could sink..."

I found a perfect comment at Daily Kos.

I'm enjoying the irony

Probably not for the same reason most here seem to be.

The Times and AP (all the U.S. msm, actually), were perfectly willing to cheerlead the gov't and throw Wikileaks under the bus. There were no complaints when the gov't forced Twitter to turn over account details of a member of the Icelandic Parliament, but now that it is happening to them, they are suddenly apoplectic. They were "Rah, Rah" in support of the government "War on Terra" and support for DHS and all that entails, and now they've been bitten in the butt by their own hypocrisy. Their outrage is way late, and now they are the ones being ground under the boot of the police state that they celebrated when it was being created.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1209188/50179279#c49

There were a lot of people consistent in their opposition any leak of damaging classified information, but clearly the media are being hypocrites, especially after hyping the GOP position that the WH may be involved in leaks.

[newmember]

12. Obama needs some new friends

The ones he has suck...........