Tired of what Chairman Darrell Issa calls the Obama administration's "stonewalling," the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is taking Attorney General Eric Holder to court.

The civil contempt of Congress lawsuit, filed on Aug. 13 at the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., is another attempt to get Holder to hand over internal Department of Justice memos related to the botched Fast and Furious gun-tracking program.
At the attorney general's request, the White House in June exerted executive privilege over Fast and Furious documents.
"After promising an unprecedented level of transparency, the president is attempting to expand the reach of executive privilege to obstruct the truth about the reckless conduct that contributed to the death of a Border Patrol agent and countless Mexican citizens," Issa said in a statement.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver said the lawsuit is a waste of time and money and a distraction from more important matters.

"While this Congress should be addressing critical issues like creating jobs and fixing our economy, House Republicans continue their plot to discredit Attorney General Holder. Instead of protecting the right to vote for millions of Americans across this country, they are diverting the Justice Department's attention away from challenging discriminatory and restrictive voter ID laws proposed in 34 states," Cleaver said. "This partisan effort to distract Americans from Republican inaction on the real problems we face every day continues. It’s a waste of taxpayers' money and it's a disgrace to the American people. It is past time for Congress to get serious, work together, and do what is necessary to get this country focused on issues that really matter."

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(Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)