Rep. Trey Gowdy Releases Scathing New Vid Blasting Obama's Use of Executive Privilege

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) released a new video Thursday slamming President Obama's assertion of executive privilege over documents relating to Operation "Fast and Furious" and says the White House "can't hide behind executive privilege."

The full House is expected to vote on both criminal and civil contempt resolutions during today's legislative session.

“The reason we have privileges is to protect the relationships… No privilege is absolute. Every privilege can be defeated, and usually they can be defeated by an indication of criminal conduct,” Gowdy says in the video.  “There was a demonstrably false letter sent from the Department of Justice on DOJ letterhead to a United States Senator and therefore to all of Congress. That letter was misleading, deceptive, and provably wrong."

Gowdy continues, "We are seeking the documents that would help us understand how a letter that materially false could be drafted, approved, delivered to a United States Senator. That’s the information that Congress was seeking. The White House and the Department of Justice are seeking to prevent us from getting that information by asserting that third tier, lowest level, weakest form of executive privilege. Keep in mind, it doesn’t apply when Congress wants the information, and it doesn’t cover up allegations of wrongdoing and misconduct, which is exactly what that February 4th letter was."