Rep. Cummings: GOP hyperventilation over AG Holder ‘abuse of power’

>>> there's a new spirit of bullies.

>> now it seems to be reaching critical mass . mr. holder is taking incoming on all sorts of marines.

>> i'm afraid we've come to an impasse.

>> does eric holder survive?

>> you lead me no alternative than to join thousands who call upon you to resign your office.

>> we can expect more in the coming days. house republicans have forced a vote next wednesday to hold the attorney general in contempt of congress. ranking democrat is elijah cummings , who called this vote irresponsible, unprecedented, and contrary to the rule of law. i'm delighted to saw the author is with us.

>>> what they aring it the attorney to do is to disobey the law, in other words, try to find him in contemp for not releasing documents like wiretap applications. martin, it is against the law to do that, but they're saying because he's not doing it, he's in contempt. they also want him to release information that might put confidential informants in danger. again that's something he simply cannot do. they also want him to release information which might jeopardizes prosecutions in ongoing trials, just like the trials with regard to brian furtherry, the slain agent. basically what he's said is i am going to obey the law. and so he's offered to give them as much information as he possibly could action consistent with the law. they seems to keep saying, no. let's take a listen.

>> you've got to ask the question, did the president of the united states authorize people on his staff to brief "new york times" about this program?

>> this is about the president?

>> this is about the president, no doubt about it. they're trying to find ways to embarrass this president. i have never seen an attorney general treated this way.

>> could you believe the hearing and the way he was spoken to by members of congress?

>> i don't think a lot of people realize how -- i'm a lawyer he is the highest law enforcement officer in the country. then the implications that they've been saying here lately, he's one of the greatest human beings i know. what they're doing, i think is trying -- again this is election year tactics involved here. the witch-hunt is clearly that.

>> isn't this also a convenient camouflage? what they don't like about this man are some of the things like the trial for khalid sheikh mohammed to take place in a federal court in manhattan, like the possibly legalization of gay marriage ? these are the issues they hate this man for. that's why they're using this to attack him.

>> i have no doubt about that. if you listen to senator cronin's testimony the other day, at the end of the list, it says because he's not enforcing these anti- voter fraud law that is have been put in place. of course these laws are meant to keep african-americans hispani hispanics, others, students from voting. eric holder is a very competent attorney general. it's interesting that we -- attorney general mccasey, who came during the bush administration , he oversaw something called wide receiver , dhfs a similar operation, by the way, to this he wall street briefed and did nothing. when eric holder found out about it, he stopped it and had an investigation. he said i want to work with you and cooperate. he gave a serious proposal on thursday. the question now, martin, is can the committee chairman, mr. issa say yes, i mean, agree to a yes answer. i've got a feeling if this is all about politics, he will continue to say no.

>> instead, i'm sure. we had this disrespectful behavior to the attorney general in committee. we had a heckler today interrupting the president. it was announced the president would speak, he was not going to be taking questions. everyone knows there is a standard protocol. if you wish to throw a question to the president as he leaves, that's fine. what is your reaction?

>> i believe there's a disrespect not only for the president, but for the office of the president . that is very, very alarming. we saw it when joe wilson called the president a liar. our country is better than that, and i think a lot of the same thing is happening with our attorney general. these are two men doing outstanding jobs, but there are folks who just don't like them.

>> is it because they're both black?

>> i think that probably has something to do with it, and i think the other thing it has to do with is they purely goods agreed with their politics, period.

>> congressman, thank you so much. a great privilege to have you here in the studio