Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Thursday that a team at the White House is pursuing him and others on its “enemies list” in an attempt to quell dissenters in Washington.
“Not since Richard Nixon have we seen a president who puts together an enemies list and has a whole team pursuing it, but that’s what’s happened in this administration,” Issa told "Fox and Friends." “It’s sad; it’s not the America I want to have going forward. I sincerely hope after the election, regardless, the American people will have made a statement that we won’t tolerate this.”
Issa was responding to allegations made by right-wing website
The Daily Caller, which reported earlier this week that emails it obtained show the Department of Justice (DOJ) colluding with the liberal advocacy group Media Matters.
The Daily Caller says the emails show the administration worked with Media Matters to attack reporters challenging the DOJ over the botched gun-walking scandal known as “Fast and Furious.”
Issa was mentioned in some emails between DOJ Public Affairs Director Tracy Schmaler and a Media Matters staffer. In the emails, Schmaler seems to be explaining the intricacies of the case, but some on the right say this is evidence of the administration spinning news to the liberal media.
“[Schmaler] serves at the pleasure of the president. These political appointees do the president’s bidding. So would I like to see her go? Of course. I want to see the entire team packing their bags starting Nov. 7,” Issa said. “But I think the point is, these people represent the culture that President Obama brought in to Washington. A culture of division. A culture that embraces the concept that the 1 percent is evil and somehow the rest of America somehow needs to punish the 1 percent. I guess I’m part of the 1 percent, for purposes of their attack.”
Attorney General Eric Holder will hold a hearing Thursday morning to address the inspector general report on the Fast and Furious operation.
