A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Joe Walsh

Rep. Walsh: Attorney General deflected responsibility

IG Report faults serious leadership of ATF

WASHINGTON – Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-8) released the following statement after the Inspector General’s (IG) office testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The IG released its long-awaited report on Operation Fast & Furious yesterday. Walsh is a member of the committee.

“The IG report brings to light what committee members have always suspected,” said Walsh. “

The botched Operation Fast and Furious was a result of serious failures by leadership of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

“There is no doubt in my mind that lives in both Mexico and the United States were lost because too many people with ATF failed to do their jobs properly.”

Walsh continued: “What bothers me most is Attorney General Eric Holder’s continued ability to deflect all responsibility.

“It should have been the Attorney General who sought justice for Brian Terry’s murder, not the whistleblowers, and that is why I was one of the first Members to call for his resignation.

“Holder was entrusted to oversee all operations of his department, and therefore he should be held accountable for his staff’s actions.

“Instead, the AG refused to provide subpoenaed documents to this committee, he and his department gave ambiguous and conflicting statements to Congressional inquiries, and he hid behind bogus Presidential decrees.

“This is one of the worst displays of leadership I’ve seen by a member of the Cabinet.”

In November, Walsh led a letter with 39 of his colleagues calling for Attorney General Holder’s immediate resignation. He voted in favor of holding Holder in contempt in June.

“If it weren’t for Chairman Daryl Issa’s relentless pursuit of the truth, I fear the Terry family may never have gotten any answers,” Walsh concluded.

Joe Walsh

An email from Congressman Joe Walsh:

As a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I was the first to put in writing that Attorney General Eric Holder must resign due to his role in the “Fast and Furious” scandal. Yesterday my House colleagues and I voted 23-17 to hold Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.

Since coming to Congress just over a year ago, I have been committed to checking the unchecked power in Washington

Click here to show your support to send a strong independent voice to Washington!

Under the Obama Administration, government has become less accountable to the people and our laws and liberties have been circumvented. Just yesterday, in a last ditch effort to shield Holder from Congressional subpoena, Obama invoked executive privilege to stop Congress from investigating this scandal.

Fighting for accountability from the U.S. Attorney General has not always been the most politically popular thing to do. But Eric Holder’s refusal to cooperate has proven it is the right thing to do. Click here to show you stand with me.

This is an area where my opponent has failed to lead and serve the interests of the public. Even the Daily Herald has exposed her as silent on the issue just to “avoid a political minefield.” 

As a former member of the Blagojevich and Obama administrations, it is clear she is the insider, rubber-stamp politician for special interests.

Folks, we need to elect representatives who will work to seek truth and ensure officials serve the public, not their own political careers. Send unaccountable politicians a message by donating today.

Together, we can keep this a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Gratefully,

Congressman Joe Walsh

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Rep. Walsh Leads Letter to the President Asking for Holder Resignation

“Attorney General Eric Holder is supposed to enforce the laws of this nation, not try to break them. It’s time he goes.”

WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-8) sent a letter with 39 of his colleagues to President Obama asking for Holder’s immediate resignation. Congressman Walsh sent a letter directly to the Attorney General in late October asking him to take responsibility for his role in Operation Fast and Furious and to step down, but the Attorney General has continued to stonewall Congress and the subsequent investigation.

Walsh stated:

Joe Walsh

“The American people deserve to know the truth regarding Attorney General Eric Holder’s knowledge and role in Operation Fast and Furious. Throughout this investigation, the Attorney General has back-pedaled on his testimony, tried to cover his tracks, and has been unwilling to cooperate with the Congressional investigation. This is simply unacceptable.

“The Attorney General oversaw a department which carried out an operation that left a U.S. border patrol agent dead, illegally sold 2,000 weapons to Mexican cartels, and attempted to build a case for gun control. Operation Fast and Furious was a tragic mistake. The American people deserve more than this from their government and the Attorney General needs to give answers, not more false testimony.

“Attorney General Eric Holder is supposed to enforce the laws of this nation, not try to break them. It’s time he goes.”

I see no signatures from other Illinois Congressmen/women.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Walsh’s Weekly Wrap-Up

Joe Walsh discussed gun control at the Huntley Area Tea Party.

Dear Friend,

This week, I sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to resign for the role he played in the subsequent cover-up of the failed Fast and Furious operation.

This program led to the death of two federal agents and was deliberately designed to attack law-abiding American gun-owners and gun-dealers.

The American people deserve to know the truth regarding the Attorney General’s knowledge and role in the operation.

I asked that the Attorney General resign immediately and take responsibility for implicating the United States as an accessory to the violent crimes committed by these Mexican cartels, using his appointed position as the chief law enforcement officer to attack the Second Amendment of the Constitution, and for the role he played in the subsequent cover-up of the failed Fast and Furious operation.

If he fails to do so, I ask that President Obama dismiss him immediately. Click here to view the letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Also this week, I co-sponsored the Government Results Transparancy Act, which will finally allow the government to publish all of its performance and spending data for each program on a public website in a format that makes it easy for anyone to search, download, and analyze.

I also co-sponsored the Unfunded Mandates Accountability Act that requires a cost-benefit analysis of economically significant rules issued by agencies that have an effect on the economy of $100 million or more and to select the “least costly, least burdensome, or most cost-effective” regulatory approach that achieves the policy goals set out by Congress.

It was great to be back in Illinois this weekend and hope you all can make it out to meet me on Monday at ‘Horror Stories (and other talk of Washington)’ in Barrington.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Horror Stories (and other talk of Washington) with Congressman Joe Walsh

Monday, October 31 8:30am-10:00am
Egg Harbor Café
210 S Cook St.
Barrington, IL 60010

This event is a scary twist on Congressman Walsh’s Cup of Joe with Joe. Halloween costumes are optional and breakfast is on your own. For more information call (847) 973-9341.

IN THE NEWS

Rep. Joe Walsh on Neil Cavuto Discussing the Tea Party and Holders Resignation

Rep. Joe Walsh on ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight’ Discussing the Supercommittee

The Chicago Sun-Times article on the Barack Obama Administration's suit against Arizona.

I’m not much into writing about national politics. I’ve only touched upon immigration enforcement by local officials when McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren joined other suburban sheriffs in agreeing to do so.

(See April 14, 2010 article entitled,

“Nygren to Join Other Sheriffs in Arresting Aliens.”

Strangely, I didn’t see anything about that in the local Heralds or the edition of the Chicago Tribune delivered locally.)

A friend of McHenry County Blog send me this insightful column from the Boston Herald by Michael Graham:

Bad posture on amnesty
Funny how feds lean on Ariz., not R.I.

As you can see from the beginning of his piece, Graham comes at the subject from the point of view of enforcing immigration law:

“Attorney General Eric Holder finally filed that long-rumored lawsuit challenging Arizona’s new immigration law. In his opinion, only the federal government has the legal authority to ‘enforce’ (read ‘completely ignore’) border security. If the Obama administration were convinced that Arizona would treat illegal immigration the same way the feds do, they wouldn’t have bothered to sue.”

But what is interesting is not his viewpoint or extremely clever use of the English language. It’s his sharing what the State of Rhode Island police do that is, oh, so similar to what critics of the Arizona law fear.

Micheal Graham wrote this colum for the Boston Herald the day after the Feds announced their suit against Arizona's immigrant enforcement law.

In looking for just the right sentences to quote, I am reading through pungent criticism of President Barack Obama. I encourage you to read the whole column.

Later, he asks the trenchant question:

“Why pick on Arizona?…why isn’t he suing Providence instead of Phoenix? They’ve been doing local immigration enforcement for years now.”

Columnist Graham next cites rival paper Boston Globe and Democrat in explaining how the situation in Rhode Island resembles that feared in Arizona:

“As The Boston Globe-Democrat reported yesterday,

This is where Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees spend their time in the McHenry Jail when they are not in their cells.

‘From Woonsocket to Westerly, the troopers patrolling the nation’s smallest state are reporting all illegal immigrants they encounter, even on routine stops such as speeding, to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.’

“Even liberal Providence, where politicians long opposed any local enforcement efforts, changed its policy in 2008 after the infamous Marco Riz case.

“Riz was the illegal immigrant arrested by Providence cops twice while under a federal deportation order but released both times. He was then charged with carjacking a woman in Warwick and raping her in Providence.

“Rhode Island cops now routinely contact ICE when they suspect they’ve come across an illegal immigrant. Since 2006, the number of contacts they’ve made to ICE’s Law Enforcement Support Center in Vermont has nearly doubled, the Globe reported. How is this significantly different than Arizona’s proposed law?”

Good question, wouldn’t you agree?

That’s what former Illinois State Representative Roscoe Cunningham says in a front page letter to United States Senator Roland Burris in his Sumner Press.

Cunningham, with whom I served in the 1970′s before he, like I, caught congressional fever, continually pleads the case for the poverty of his Southeastern part of Illinois. He seeks additional prisoners for the Lawrenceville state prison.

“RE: Transfer of Guantanamo Releasees to Lawrence Correctional Facility

“Dear Friend of 40 Years:

“We implore you to inform Attorney General Eric Holder today that the Press’ suggested transfer has the overwhelming support of this poverty stricken area.

“We are authorized by the Mayors of Sumner, Bridgeport, Lawrencville and Olney to add their names to our plea. We are assured by the state legislative leaders that designation of a portion of the facility ‘Federally controlled,’ is a formality.

“The community wants this transfer because it is our civic duty to accept the burden of the releases’ further care and the economic boost such relocation will bring. Unlike Leavenworth’s ‘Jayhawk’ Rich, our area needs the business.

“If the Attorney General wishes to make a personal inspection of this facility, remembering that he went to Guantanamo, we’ll appeal to Warden Ryker to unfurl the red carpet any day chosen.

“Lawrenceville Correctional Facilty is located 15 minutes from Mid-American Air Central, the state’s fourth largest, one mild runways.

“We need your help.

“Best wishes,

“Sincerely,

“The Sumner Press”