This is Why I Didn't Arrest Karl Rove When I Had the Chance': Nancy Pelosi Says Eric Holder Contempt Vote 'Undermines' Congress

Lashing out at House Republicans for pursuing contempt charges against Attorney General Eric Holder, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said before the committee vote Wednesday that the GOP is playing politics, not pursuing the truth. She cited the fact that she could have "arrested" Karl Rove but chose not to.

And she says she's "not kidding."

(Related: House Oversight Committee Finds Eric Holder in Contempt in Fast and Furious Investigation)

"I could have arrested Karl Rove on any given day" Pelosi said on Wednesday, the Huffington Post reports. "I’m not kidding. There’s a prison here in the Capitol... If we had spotted him in the Capitol, we could have arrested him."

Karl Rove served as deputy chief of staff to former President  George W. Bush from 2001-2007.

Pelosi was asked by HuffPo on what charges could Rove have been arrested and she replied, "Oh, any number. But there were some specific ones for his being in contempt of Congress. But we didn't."

The House minority leader also tried to downplay the committee's contempt vote by saying it was "strictly political."

"It's just the irresponsibility of the Republicans. We want jobs. Why are they spending this time doing this?" Pelosi asked.

She went on to slam Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House oversight committee, who has been at the forefront of the investigation into operation Fast and Furious.

"Loose cannon would sort of be like such a compliment to Darrell Issa. 'Loose cannon' would be a moderate phrase. This is an explosive device," she said. "It doesn't serve our country, and it undermines the true purpose of contempt of Congress," Pelosi said. "This is why I didn't arrest Karl Rove when I had the chance."

Pelosi can't be happy to know that the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee vote 23-17 in favor of pursing contempt charges against Holder this afternoon. The full House will now consider a contempt resolution sometime next week.

The vote came after Issa and other congressional investigators say Holder refused to turn over a subset of post February 4 documents relating to the failed gunrunning operation. Though the attorney general recently agreed to provide additional documents, the Obama administration early this morning asserted executive privilege on behalf of Holder in regards to those documents.