A spokesman for Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn wouldn’t answer when The Daily Caller asked him yet again whether his boss thinks Attorney General Eric Holder should resign over the growing Operation Fast and Furious scandal.
When TheDC first asked Coburn in November where he stood on the calls for Holder’s resignation over Fast and Furious, he said he wasn’t joining the surge of congressmen demanding Holder step down. At that time, there were about 40 members of the House demanding Holder’s resignation.
“No,” Coburn said when asked if he supports the resignation calls. “I think it’s unfortunate what happened. The question is: Will we ever know who knew what and when?”
When TheDC followed up shortly thereafter with Coburn’s spokesman about why Coburn wasn’t joining his colleagues in demanding Holder’s resignation, the spokesman said Coburn was “busy trying to cut spending,” so he wasn’t getting involved.
Since then Coburn has endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary contest — a political decision not related to “cut[ting] spending.” Coburn’s spokesman wouldn’t answer when TheDC asked how he found time to endorse Romney, but couldn’t find time to look into Holder’s job performance.
The Oklahoma senator’s spokesman also wouldn’t say whether his boss stands with Romney on Holder’s fitness for office. In December 2011, Romney said that “either Mr. Holder himself should resign, or the president should ask for his resignation.” (RELATED: Full coverage of Operation Fast and Furious)
During George W. Bush’s presidency, Coburn was one of the few Republicans who called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ resignation.
“Mr. Attorney General, you set the standard. You said leadership skills, management skills,” Coburn said during an April 2007 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “They were sorely lacking in this instance. And the responsibility is to start with a clean slate, a new set of leadership skills, a new set of management skills, to heal this in the country, to restore the confidence in this country.”
Coburn’s comparative silence on Holder stands in stark contrast to the 121 federal lawmakers who have either demanded Holder resign or signed a House resolution of “no confidence” in Holder, or both. In addition, three senators, two sitting governors and all major Republican presidential candidates have demanded Holder’s resignation over Operation Fast and Furious.