Holder defends keeping Petraeus inquiry from White House until after election

[alp227]

Source: washington post

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Thursday defended the Justice Department’s handling of the investigation that led David H. Petraeus to resign as CIA director, saying that the department was right to keep the inquiry secret from the White House until after last week’s presidential election.

Holder’s first public comments on the controversy came as the CIA opened an internal inquiry of Petraeus’s conduct during his 14-month tenure as director. The move means that there are three active investigations related to a scandal that has scrambled President Obama’s national security team.

“What we did was conduct the investigation in the way we normally conduct a criminal investigation,” Holder said in a news conference in New Orleans.

He said the inquiry was handled “in an impartial way. We follow the facts. We do not share outside the Justice Department, outside the FBI, the facts of ongoing investigations.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/holder-defends-keeping-petraeus-inquiry-from-white-house-until-after-election/2012/11/15/76601d62-2f64-11e2-a30e-5ca76eeec857_singlePage.html

[Fence rider]

1. But don't you See?

If only they had come out before they could blame Obama for a career officer's inability to keep his junk in his pants! I can see the headlines now "Obama allows General to carry on illicit affair,to cover up Libya,Yemen,his birth certificates and all this free shit he's giving out".
Get the full unbiased story on Fox News
What a joke they are!
We need to educate our children so this shit doesn't cloud their future!

[hrmjustin]

2. You said it my friend!

[DURHAM D]

4. I don't get your comment.

If the Petraeus problem had been revealed before the election and Obama fired him it could have resulted in even more votes for him. He would be seen as tough, not a hypocrite, setting good standards, unafraid to do the right thing, on top of national security issues, cleaning out the old guard, etc. Probably would have resulted in more white males voting for the tough guy.

[BouzoukiKing]

7. I have serious doubts about that.

Truman didn't do so well firing MacArthur, did he? Throw race into the mix, and also how different the country is today.

"...tough, not a hypocrite, setting good standards, unafraid to do the right thing, on top of national security issues, cleaning out the old guard, etc." Are those things that play the same today, as they did in 1951? Truman's approval fell to the lowest (23%) of any sitting president ever - lower than Bush43 - because of his decision. Would Obama fare even that well?

Not that I know the answers to these questions.

But fortunately, the point is moot - and I'm happy with that.

[susanna]

9. Please proceed. n/t

[SkyDaddy7]

15. You are making the same mistake as...

Many of my fellow Liberals make when it comes to many issues in America today...You can't think about issues from a rational POV you must think about them in the context of the typical American who thinks Generals are gods who do nothing wrong.

[davidpdx]

25. In order to think like a Republican

You have to take two drops of acid and shave your tongue in the morning.

[John2]

3. OK

I'll give Eric Holder that,but I have one question to the Attorney General that I wish someone would ask him. If it was important not to inform the Executive Branch, then why did your FBI agent inform a Republican Congressman in the state of Washington and he in turn informed Eric Cantor? Shouldn't your FBI agent, even though he was told to stay away from the case get some kind of discipline for breaking the protocol? Can Eric Holder answer that question? Does he even have control of his own Department? You remember how some others went cowboy in your Department? It almost cost your job. He needs to gain more control over his Department.

[DURHAM D]

5. The agent is currently out of service.

The agent probably violated the law and will pay for it. I really can't believe you are trying to blame Holder for this. JFTR - he is not the head of the FBI. Mueller is a Republican holdover.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

6. You brought the key point.

The question is what did Romney know about it. When did Reichert the congressman become aware of the investigation- reports have it several months ago or summer time. Reichert to Cantor- time frame Oct. Cantor to Mueller - Oct. So the republican congressman knew months ago . This is not just a breach of protocal ,if Reichert knew months ago the question is did that knowledge leak out .

But the senate will look into that.

[MisterScruffles]

10. The Senate Will look into that

So, nothing will happen, then?

[tavalon]

13. Yes

That would be correct.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

19. 2% at $80,000,000-Kelly

Stands to reason there is a grand sham involved,the woman is a crook. Yes I think there will be long detailed senate investigation. There are most likely lies being told about the time line. Reichert as it seems knew about the case for months.

But they say Cantor put kelly in contact with Mueller in Oct. Are we or is the senate to except Reichert kept his knowledge of the investigation to himself ?

Is Romney not a lier and crook ?
Grant it if Kelly fooled 2 generals of ours- she most likely had no trouble at all fooling a glory seeking fbi agent.

The time line doesn't fit. My guess is key ranking members of the Republican side of congress were in on the inside track . That may mean Romney was on the inside track as well. But the president wasn't. hmmmmmmm.

This thing will drag on for some time to come. I think we may see some forced resignations in congress in the R sector.

At the very least it is a plesent thought.

[Coyotl]

16. Agent left the ranch, committed a crime by doing that

Holder followed the rule of law, kept it in house, and the agent broke the rules for political reasons, to try to besmear the Obama Administration, because he was delusional.

[David Zephyr]

8. Good enough for me.

I trust Eric Holder on this. He gets no credit and is attacked unfairly. He's a good man.

[tavalon]

14. When Eric Holder stands down and eliminates the drug war

I will call him a good man. Right now, he's a problem. On this specific thing, I think he was correct in holding the information until after the election.

[Coyotl]

17. Don't blame Holder for adhering to the law as written. If he did not his ass would be grass.

Don't like the law, change it!@! Don't blame the police for the laws, blame the legislators.

[tavalon]

20. I'm in Washington state

We are changing the law. You might have noticed.

[former9thward]

21. It is the federal law that is important.

Even if the feds stop busting MM the IRS will still be there. If you in any type of business that has MJ involvement then at the end of the year when you sign your tax return you will be admitting a federal felony.

[tavalon]

22. We are so aware that this was and is just a shot across the bow

But it's pretty great that of the two states who stuck their middle fingers up at the Federal government, mine was one of them. The state has already dismissed a bunch of pending MJ cases.

Yes, this will make it's way, ever so slowly, to the supreme court, hopefully after Scalia has retired.

But Holder can and should take a hands off approach. Many in the past have and he hasn't.

[DCKit]

11. Screw the WAPO, Eric Holder said involving the WH in any investigation isn't proper...

and I agree. The Republics would have something to go after our President if the WH did interfere in investigations.

[JoeyT]

12. I generally dislike Holder, but he's 100% correct. n/t

[yellowcanine]

18. If they had notified the WH the Republicans would be screaming bloody murder.

You KNOW they would be. Fukkers.

[Coyotl]

23. Exactly, because it would have been improper!

D'oh. But hey, they live inside their own cognitive resonance bubble. What else can it be? No one can be that stupid, right?

[Ash_F]

24. Holder needs to go

Not for this. For a lot of things.