Cunningham Pleads Fifth in Fast and Furious

Fox News is reporting that Patrick J. Cunningham, the second highest ranking U.S. Attorney in Arizona, informed the House Oversight Committee late Thursday through his attorney that he will plead the Fifth to avoid testifying before Representative Darrell Issa's House Oversight Committee.  He had been subpoenaed by the committee regarding his role in the ATF scheme known as Fast and Furious, that sent more than 2,000 guns to the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. Guns from the fatal operation were found at the murder scene of Border Agent Brian Terry.  Cunningham believes he is being set up as a fall guy by the Department of Justice.

Things should be very interesting when Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on February 2nd.

This schism is the first big break in what has been a unified front in the government’s defense of itself in the gun-running scandal. Cunningham claims he is a victim of a conflict between two branches of government and will not be compelled to be a witnesses against himself, and make a statement that could be later used by a grand jury or special prosecutor to indict him on criminal charges.