Thursday, September 20, 2012
14 named for disciplinary referral, but AG Holder absolved of any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice's Inspector General released its much anticipated report on "Operation Fast and Furious." The internal investigation lasted 19 months and ultimately recommended that 14 employees be disciplined. Attorney General Eric Holder, who was found in contempt by Congress for his role in Fast and Furious, was not among those recommended for disciplinary action. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-3), who has been one of the lead investigators of the Fast and Furious program for the House Oversight Committee, released a statement in response to the Inspector General's findings. It is as follows: “The Congressional investigation into Fast and Furious was always about pursuing justice for Special Agent Brian Terry and his …
Friday, August 31, 2012
Second such award for former Spartanburg County prosecutor and freshman Congressman.
U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-Spartanburg), who represents much of the Upstate in Congress, was named as the top "Surprise Standout" by Washingtonian Magazine in its annual "Best and Worst of Congress" survey. Last year, the New York Times named Gowdy one of the coolest members of Congress. See the complete list right here. Why Gowdy achieved the accolade from the Washingtonian is unclear. However, despite being a freshman, Gowdy has not exactly been a traditional back-bencher. Gowdy, a mostly hard-line, Tea Party-backed conservative who faces Democratic challenger Deb Morrow for his 4th District seat this November, has been the leading GOP spokesperson against the Department of Justice's controversial "Fast and Furious" program. And, he …
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Mulvaney joins colleague in Spartanburg.
For some stretches of time on Friday night, the town hall featuring Reps. Trey Gowdy (R-4) and Mick Mulvaney (R-5) had the feel of a comedy show. Greeted by a standing ovation from more than 200 supporters at First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, Gowdy and Mulvaney were at turns self-deprecating and effusive in their praise of each other. Each man lobbed crowd-pleasing barbs at leading Democrats, with Pres. Obama and Nancy Pelosi the most popular targets. The session, entitled Faith in Free Markets, grew more somber however, as Gowdy described the ongoing and headline-grabbing Fast and Furious investigation and Mulvaney, who represents a portion of Spartanburg County, updated the audience on budgetary matters. Gowdy, a leading member of the…
Thursday, June 21, 2012
18-month-long investigation House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the House committee overseeing the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, found United States Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for citing executive privilege and not handing over documents relevant to the inquiry. The Fast and Furious investigation has strong ties to South Carolina, with U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-4) one of its lead investigators and the whistleblower who helped shed light on the operation residing in Simpsonville. Next week, House Speaker John Boehner is expected to bring the contempt hearings to a vote before the entire House. While the investigation has dragged on, some have called a little more than political theater and precisely the kind of gridlock that has Congess' favorability polling in…
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Vote was along party lines.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-4), a key member of the United States House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was among the 23 Republicans who voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt. All 17 Democrats on the committee voted against the contempt finding. The move is tied to Holder's request to Pres. Obama to invoke Executive Privilege with regard to the release of documents related to the investigation of "Operation "Fast and Furious." Fast and Furious was a program run by the The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that saw the agency sell high-powered firearms to Mexican arms dealers and drug cartels. The goal of the program was to track the weapons and then link to criminal organizations in Mexico and …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Relating to 'Fast and Furious' investigation.
From the office of Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-4): Today, Rep. Trey Gowdy, a former federal and state prosecutor who prosecuted scores of firearms cases while working for the United States Attorney's Office, released the following statement in regards to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee resolution of contempt charges against Attorney General Eric Holder. "It did not have to come to this. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight over the Executive Branch and that oversight responsibility began well over a year ago with respect to “Fast and Furious.” Despite repeated requests for documents, multiple appearances before various committees of Congress, and more than ample time to comply, the Department of …
Friday, February 3, 2012
As part of an ongoing investigation
As a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-4) has been one of the leaders on what has become known as the "Fast and Furious" scandal. Gowdy, a former Spartanburg County District Attorney, questioned U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday in a hearing. For more on Fast and Furious click HERE. Gowdy has called for Holder's resignation as a result of his connection to the scandal.
Jim Lee
9:57 am on Thursday, September 20, 2012
There's a difference between an internal investigation and an independent investigation. While the internal report may not formally charge Holder with wrong-doing, it clear indicts Holder for wrong-headed and incompetent leadship of the DoJ. more ›