Washington, D.C. – Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ) spoke to Fox News’ America’s Newsroom Wednesday regarding the news that President Obama will assert executive privilege over disputed Fast and Furious documents. To view his full remarks, click here:
ON MISUSE OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
Look, this is not a proper declaration of executive privilege. But think about how long this game has been dragged on by this Administration. It makes you really start to wonder, what is in those documents, what does this president so desperately wish to hide from those of us in Congress and from the American people?
Well let’s stop and take one step backwards, and the tradition of executive privilege.
Is this information that would benefit our enemies? Is there something here that has to do with national relations with a foreign power? Does this affect the military? None of those apply here. This is about a botched operation by the Justice Department and others that have taken lives.
ON WHAT MUST BE DONE NEXT
Well, I think we begin exactly where Darrell Issa is taking his committee today. It’s time for Contempt of Congress. It is time for the voice of Congress to be heard, but also the voice of the American people.
ON MEDIA BIAS ON EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
And, Martha, think about this. If this were the previous president, the Left and the media would be bouncing off the walls with anger. But somehow this president gets a pass on something that is truly just outrageous. He repeatedly attacks the Constitution, whether it be last Friday’s order on the immigration, saying, ‘just don’t follow the law,’ or now ‘I’m just going to declare executive privilege and not deliver the documents Darrell Issa and the committee is asking for.’
Look, I’ve been stunned — being from Arizona, we’re ground zero for these actions, and the devastation, and the chaos its helped create. But a lot of the other media around the country have just considered this a sideshow, and now it’s coming home.
ON WHITE HOUSE ARROGANCE
But Martha, I’ll make you the argument, this type of arrogance from this White House is a pattern, that the number of items where this White House says, ‘hey, just ignore the law, because it’s inconvenient to our reelection.’ You start to wonder, how much of this has to do with this election coming up.