WASHINGTON — Lawmakers’ frustration with Attorney General Eric Holder over an ongoing security leak probe and the botched “Fast and Furious” gunrunning operation boiled over Tuesday, with a top Republican lawmaker calling on Holder to resign.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) called for Holder’s resignation during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing late Tuesday morning. It came in the context of Republican concerns about Holder’s decision to appoint two lawyers from within his department to handle the politically sensitive leak probe — as well as concerns about “Fast and Furious.”
“Americans deserve an attorney general that will be honest with them, they deserve an attorney general who will uphold the basic standards of political independence and accountability,” Cornyn said. “You’ve proven time and time again, sadly, that you’re unwilling to do so.”
In response, Holder accused Republicans of playing politics and specifically accused Cornyn of “breathtaking” inaccuracies.
“I don’t have any intention of resigning,” he said.
Cornyn’s statements Tuesday coincided with a move by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to push legislation demanding a special prosecutor in the leak probe.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday that she would oppose the move and defended the professionalism and independence of the attorneys Holder selected.
Holder said the attorneys he assigned to the leak case “will do an independent and thorough job.”
“These US attorneys are fully authorized to consult with members of the intelligence community, to follow all appropriate leads wherever they do lead and ultimately to prosecute any criminal violations to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.
Recent leaks about secret programs have contributed to several news stories, including two New York Times articles — one on President Barack Obama’s involvement in shaping the list of terror targets for US-led drone strikes, the other on the cyber campaign to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program.
Some Republicans have charged that top officials in the Obama administration cleared the leaks to help make the president look strong in an election year.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called that suggestion “wrong and absurd.”
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