House files suit against Holder over government records

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican-run House on Monday asked a federal court to enforce a subpoena against Attorney General Eric Holder, demanding that he produce records on a bungled gun-tracking operation known as Operation Fast and Furious.

The lawsuit asked the court to reject a claim by President Barack Obama asserting executive privilege, a legal position designed to protect administration communications from disclosure.

The failure of Holder and House Republicans to work out a deal on the documents led to votes in June that held the attorney general in civil and criminal contempt of Congress. The civil contempt resolution led to Monday's lawsuit.

Holder refused requests by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to hand over documents that could explain why the Justice Department initially denied in February 2011 that a risky tactic was used to allow firearms to "walk" from Arizona to Mexico.

Federal agents lost track of many of the guns. The operation identified more than 2,000 illicitly purchased weapons, and some 1,400 of them have yet to be recovered.

The department failed to acknowledge its incorrect statement for 10 months.

"Portentously, the (Justice) Department from the outset actively resisted cooperating fully with the committee's investigation," the suit said.

"Among other things, the department initially declined to produce documents; later produced only very limited numbers of documents in piecemeal fashion; refused to make available to the committee certain witnesses; and limited the committee's questioning of other witnesses who were made available," it said.

Numerous lawmakers said this was the first time a Cabinet official had been held in contempt.

The lawsuit asked that:

•The executive privilege claim by Obama be declared invalid.

•Holder's objection to the subpoena be rejected.

•The attorney general produce all records related to the Justice's incorrect assertion in early 2011 that gun-walking did not take place.