Montana Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg is calling for Attorney General Eric Holder’s immediate resignation, becoming the 35th member of Congress to demand it.
“It’s become clear that in his efforts to advance the President’s anti-gun agenda, Eric Holder was willing to cross lines that should never have been crossed,” Rehberg said in a statement Friday morning. “Mr. Holder has lost the public confidence necessary to do his job.”
“He has also put our Second Amendment Rights, rights he swore to uphold, in serious danger,” Rehberg continued. “Mr. Holder should immediately resign, and the Senate should refuse to confirm anyone who won’t respect our gun rights.”
As of Thursday morning, there were 34 Congressmen calling for Holder’s immediate resignation and many more have publicly stated their distrust of him. Rehberg brings that number to 35, adding extra clout to the fight as chairman of the House appropriations committee’s subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.
Virginia Republican Senate candidate Jamie Radtke also told The Daily Caller she thinks “all indications are that Eric Holder perjured himself.”
“If he perjured himself and was involved in selling guns to the Mexican Drug Cartel, he should be removed from office and charges should be immediately considered,” Radtke said in an email to TheDC.
Radtke is running against former Virginia Gov. and U.S. Senator George Allen, and others, in the Virginia Republican Senate primary. Whoever earns the GOP nomination will face former Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine in the 2012 race.
Allen’s campaign did not respond to TheDC’s request for a statement on whether the former governor believes Holder should resign.
Members of Congress who have previously called for Holder’s immediate resignation include: Rep. Connie Mack, Rep. Walter Jones, Rep. Dan Burton, House Transportation Committee chairman Rep. John Mica, House Small Business Committee chairman Rep. Sam Graves and Reps. Ted Poe, Blake Farenthold, Louie Gohmert, Quico Canseco, Rodney Alexander, Paul Gosar, Allen West, Tim Huelskamp, Mike Pompeo, Duncan Hunter, Devin Nunes, Dennis Ross, Trent Franks, Lynn Jenkins, Raul Labrador, Joe Walsh, Gus Bilirakis, Paul Broun, Randy Hultgren, Stephen Fincher, John Culberson, Michael Grimm, Andy Harris, Mike Coffman, Kenny Marchant, Thaddeus McCotter, Diane Black, Bob Latta and Vicky Hartzler.
No Democrats have called for Holder’s resignation yet. On Thursday when he called for Holder to step down, National Rifle Association president David Keene told TheDC Democrats are playing politics to protect the high-ranking members of their political party.