Actual lawyers feel free to corrct me, but as I understand it executive privilege allows the president to withhold documents and other materials that would reveal advisory opinions and recommendations by which governmental policies are formulated. By invoking executive privilege Obama and Holder are essentially admitting that "allowing" guns into Mexico was a policy descision.
No, they're admitting that the documents requested would've revealed advisory opinions and recommendations. Not about whether F&F was policy, but about the policy decisions relating to F&F once it was revealed. AG Holder's exact words (http://www.docstoc.com/docs/123092707/AG-letter#): "They [the subpoenaed documents] were not generated in the conduct of Fast and Furious. Instead, they were created after the investigative tactics at issue in that operation had terminated and in the course of the Department's deliberative process concerning how to respond to congressional and related media inquiries into their operation."
My bet, btw, is on #2. No court in the world wants to stick its nose in here, and Obama is banking on that. Most transparent president my ass.
no subject
No, they're admitting that the documents requested would've revealed advisory opinions and recommendations. Not about whether F&F was policy, but about the policy decisions relating to F&F once it was revealed. AG Holder's exact words (http://www.docstoc.com/docs/123092707/AG-letter#): "They [the subpoenaed documents] were not generated in the conduct of Fast and Furious. Instead, they were created after the investigative tactics at issue in that operation had terminated and in the course of the Department's deliberative process concerning how to respond to congressional and related media inquiries into their operation."
My bet, btw, is on #2. No court in the world wants to stick its nose in here, and Obama is banking on that. Most transparent president my ass.