There’s a generally pretty strained line of questioning right now between Rep. Spencer Bachus and Attorney General Holder. But one thing Bachus has zoomed in on is that the Justice Department apparently doesn’t have a formal process of committing a recusal decision to writing. To be clear, I don’t think there’s any reasonable question whether Holder in fact recused himself. But a recusal in a significant enough thing that I would think you’d always want to formally put something on paper.
This is kind of technical. But it seems arguable that because he didn’t or may not have recused himself in writing that he didn’t actually recuse himself. And if that’s the case then the law still mandates that Holder was the only one (because it’s tied to a media organization) who could actually approve that AP subpoena. Like I said, technical. But not nothing under current circumstances.
Late Update: We’re looking again at the statute and it seems it may refer to situations where a special counsel is appointed. So may not apply in this case.
Fox reporter presses Carney: Why do we have to have this firewall between the White House and the DOJ?
You’ve heard about PPP, the Dem-affiliated polling outfit that’s been on top of the news and one of the most accurate pollsters in the country over the last couple cycles. This afternoon at 4:30 PM TPM Newswriter and Assistant Polling Editor Tom Kludt is going to lead a conversation at TPMPrime with Tom Jensen, polling director at PPP. Click here to get in your questions now and join us at 4:30 PM.
A short time ago, the White House released what appears to be all the Benghazi emails.
And the President will speak at 6 PM, apparently about the IRS story.
Republicans didn’t seem to get the answers they were looking for in Eric Holder’s Capitol Hill “grilling”.
In a White House appearance, Obama announced the (forced) resignation of acting IRS director.
Brian Beutler reports on the newly released Benghazi emails and the White House’s background briefing this afternoon with reporters.
JPMorgan asks Bloomberg to turn over records of which of their employees were snooped on by Bloomberg reporters.
A new Quinnipiac poll shows longtime political fixer Terry McAuliffe (D) with a 5 point lead over Ken Cuccinelli (R). The PollTracker Average now gives McAuliffe a microscopic .6 advantage in the race.