text: Issa’s letter is unlikely to force action but it is sure to build drama. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Issa escalates 'Furious' war 
   
   Rep. Darrell Issa escalated the legal war over Fast and Furious, directly accusing President Barack Obama of either abusing his power by withholding information or having his aides conspire with Justice Department officials to manage the aftermath of the failed ATF gun-walking program. 
   
   In a letter to Obama to be released Tuesday morning, the California Republican and chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee charged: “Either you or your most senior advisors were involved in managing Operation Fast & Furious and the fallout from it…or, you are asserting a presidential power that you know to be unjustified solely for the purpose of further obstructing a congressional investigation. 
   
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   “To date, the White House has steadfastly maintained that it has not had any role in advising the Department with respect to the congressional investigation. The surprising assertion of executive privilege raised the question of whether that is still the case.” 
   
   ( Also on POLITICO: Perry: Obama Fast and Furious executive privilege 'Nixonian') 
   
   While Issa’s letter is unlikely to force action by the president, it is sure to grab headlines and build drama before the House votes this week on whether to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over what they say is more than 100,000 documents. Just before Issa’s panel voted to recommend a contempt finding last week, Obama asserted executive privilege to prevent Holder from having to share certain information with the committee. 
   
   Now, Issa has taken his still-unfinished fight with Holder directly to Obama. The White House has indicated it was not involved in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives program. Furthermore, Issa offered no evidence to back up his accusation but instead extrapolated from Obama’s assertion of privilege to cover Justice Department communications. 
   
   ( Also on POLITICO: Issa: 'We got a lie, we got a cover-up' from DOJ) 
   
   “The congressman’s analysis has as much merit as his absurd contention that Operation Fast and Furious was created in order to promote gun control,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. “Our position is consistent with Executive Branch legal precedent for the past three decades spanning Administrations of both parties, and dating back to President Reagan’s Department of Justice. The Courts have routinely considered deliberative process privilege claims and affirmed the right of the executive branch to invoke the privilege even when White House documents are not involved.” ||||| Democrats are seeking to portray the Republican contempt motion against Attorney General Eric Holder Eric H. HolderDems pledge to fight Sessions nomination Trump taps Sessions for AG Facebook, Instagram helping White House aides find jobs: report MORE as an assault on minority rights. 
   
   Republicans have repeatedly accused Holder and the Obama administration of stonewalling Congress, but Democrats are now trying to steer the “Fast and Furious” debate away from transparency and toward voter suppression. 
   
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   At the front of the push is a group of seven national civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, that is scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday about the effect that placing Holder in contempt of Congress would have on his ability to protect the rights of black and Hispanic voters, homeowners and immigrants. 
   
   “I’m not saying that this is because Holder is black, and I’m not calling [Republicans] racists. I’m saying what they’re doing has a racial effect, and that’s what we’re going to talk about [on Tuesday],” said Sharpton in a phone interview. 
   
   “The question one would have to raise is: If he is held in contempt, under that cloud, how does he fight for voter rights? This compromises the Justice Department from being able to do a lot of fighting.” 
   
   The civil rights leaders are expected to echo concerns raised by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) last week. 
   
   Republicans have scheduled a floor vote for Thursday if the Department of Justice doesn’t fork over documents they subpoenaed on the botched gun-tracking operation. 
   
   Pelosi said it is “no accident” that Republicans are pressing for a contempt vote at the same time the DOJ has ramped up efforts to stymie voter ID laws. Democrats argue the laws prevent black and Hispanic voters from casting their ballots, while the GOP says they help prevent voter fraud. 
   
   “They’re going after Eric Holder because he is supporting measures to overturn these voter-suppression initiatives in the states,” said Pelosi. 
   
   House Republicans soundly reject those allegations. They have stuck firmly behind House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who has said the DOJ has failed to comply with his subpoena. 
   
   “Eric Holder ends up being the custodian of the documents,” said Issa on “Fox News Sunday.” “We would go to the deputy attorney general just as easily if he would give us the documents. That’s all we are looking for, is documents, which are internal to the false statement and not part of the deliberative process.” 
   
   The contempt motion passed Issa’s committee along strict party lines. It is expected to pass the House, but securing Democratic support appears unlikely. 
   
   Issa’s investigation has proven to be divisive, with Democratic leaders calling it politically motivated. 
   
   In a move that surprised many on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration last week claimed executive privilege on the documents Issa is seeking. 
   
   Issa has noted that 31 Democrats sent a letter to President Obama expressing serious concerns about the administration’s handling of Fast and Furious and the tragic fallout of having used the “gun-walking” tactics. 
   
   “I believe it will be bipartisan,” said Issa of the measure’s support. “You’ll never know how many. But there are a number of Democrats, 31, who wrote to the administration, asking them to be forthcoming. Many of them will stay with us now that the administration has not been.” 
   
   The Hill contacted all 31 Democrats for this article. Four lawmakers — Reps. Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Tim Ryan (Ohio), Martin Heinrich Martin HeinrichTom Udall eyes NM governor bid Dems to McConnell: Pass 'clean' extension of Iran sanctions Election-year politics: Senate Dems shun GOP vulnerables MORE (N.M.) and Gene Green Gene GreenCures, mental health bills near finish line House Dems call for NHL to reduce head injuries Top Dem: Cures bill funding cut to B MORE (Texas) — said they were definitely not going to support the measure. A spokesman for Rep. Mike Michaud said the Maine Democrat is undecided. The remaining 26 House Democrats did not respond to requests for comment. 
   
   Holder is the first black attorney general, and in an op-ed published last week, Sharpton used charged language to emphasize the racial overtones that might arise as the contempt measure comes to a head. 
   
   Sharpton wrote that Holder has been “stopped and frisked” by Republicans over the course of their investigation and has been “profiled” in his role as a prominent black federal official. 
   
   “AG Holder was in essence ‘stopped & frisked’ without probable cause, and after he cooperated, he was made an example of,” wrote Sharpton in the Huffington Post. “What Issa just showed us is that no matter what our stature in this world, someone can easily try to ‘put us in our place.’ ” 
   
   Rep. Allen West (Fla.), one of two black Republicans serving in the House, will support the contempt measure. 
   
   Should the House find Holder in contempt, it can refer the charge to the DOJ. Legal experts don’t expect the DOJ to act on such charges, and the GOP-led House would then have to decide if it will file a legal challenge in federal court. 
   
   Many Republicans have called for Holder to resign, expressing frustration with Fast and Furious as well as the administration’s challenge of state election laws. 
   
   During a recent Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. John Cornyn John CornynTrump taps Sessions for AG GOP senators slam House for funding bill decision Dems begin plotting ObamaCare defense strategy MORE (R-Texas) told Holder, “Your department blocks states from implementing attempts to combat voter fraud. In short, you violated the public trust, in my view, by failing and refusing to perform the duties of your office.” 
   
   Cornyn is the highest-ranking Republican to call for Holder to step aside. 
   
   — David Kaner and Jennifer Smola contributed to this article. 
   
   
   
  
target: – Darrell Issa is upping his attack on President Obama following the president's use of executive privilege in an attempt to bail out Eric Holder. A letter to Obama released today minces no words: "Either you or your most senior advisors were involved in managing Operation Fast & Furious and the fallout from it," it reads, "or, you are asserting a presidential power that you know to be unjustified solely for the purpose of further obstructing a congressional investigation." The White House has continued to insist it has not been working with the DOJ during the congressional investigation into the failed ATF gun-walking operation, but Issa says Obama's use of executive privilege raises doubts about that assertion. Politico notes that the letter probably won't force Obama to do anything, but will definitely get attention. This week is a particularly tense one for the White House: It's very possible the House's decision on whether to hold Holder in contempt will come on the same day as the Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare. Meanwhile, Democrats are looking to spin the contempt motion—as an assault on minority rights that could possibly suppress voters, seeing as the DOJ is currently fighting against voter ID laws. Al Sharpton and a number of other civil rights leaders will hold a press conference on the issue today. "I’m not saying that this is because Holder is black, and I’m not calling [Republicans] racists," Sharpton tells The Hill. "I’m saying what they’re doing has a racial effect, and that’s what we’re going to talk about."