Audio: CBS News Investigative Reporter: ‘White House Screamed and Cussed at Her Over Fast and Furious Scandal [Update: Is CBS Gagging Attkisson?]

Upon hearing this news, innocent was not the term that immediately came to mind.

The Obama Administration is feeling the scorching heat of their feet being held to the fire, and have lashed out in a most highly unprofessional manner.

(The Weekly Standard) –The Fast and Furious scandal, in which the Justice Department knowingly gave Mexican criminal gangs thousands of guns, just keeps escalating. The latest development centers around whether or not Attorney General Eric Holder lied to Congress about having knowledge of the controversial gun trafficking operation. Recently released documents say Holder was briefed about the operation long before he told the Judiciary Committee he was first aware of what was going on. (Holder now claims he misunderstood the question was being asked.)

What’s more, CBS News investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson — who’s been covering the scandal from the beginning — says in an interview on the Laura Ingraham Show today that the White House and Justice Department have taken to screaming at her for reporting on the story…[...]

Here is the audio of the Laura Ingraham’s interview with CBS News investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, along with text of the juicy bits:

IngrahamAngle

CBS News investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson spoke with Laura today about her latest bombshell report on the Obama administration’s Operation Fast and Furious scandal. Judging from the White House’s reaction to her investigation, it seems officials there know they are in deep, hot water.

1:31 – In between the yelling that I received from Justice Department yesterday, the spokeswoman–who would not put anything in writing, I was asking for her explanation so there would be clarity and no confusion later over what had been said, she wouldn’t put anything in writing–so we talked on the phone and she said things such as the question Holder answered was different than the one he asked. But he phrased it, he said very explicitly, ‘I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.‘

Ingraham interview continued:

6:05 – Laura: So they were literally screaming at you?
Attkisson: Yes. Well the DOJ woman was just yelling at me. The guy from the White House on Friday night literally screamed at me and cussed at me. [Laura: Who was the person? Who was the person at Justice screaming?] Eric Schultz. Oh, the person screaming was [DOJ spokeswoman] Tracy Schmaler, she was yelling not screaming. And the person who screamed at me was Eric Schultz [Associate Communications Director, White House -Ed.]at the White House.”

7:33 – Laura: Do we know the exact number [of guns] that went over to Mexico?
Attkisson: We know more than 2,000 in Fast and Furious and I will soon be reporting on the fact that that is not the only case. 2,000 for that operation according to the agents involved.

8:28 – …It is sort of a drip, drip. And I’m certainly not the one to make the case for DOJ and White House about what I’m doing wrong. They will tell you that I’m the only reporter–as they told me–that is not reasonable. They say the Washington Post is reasonable, the LA Times is reasonable, the New York Times is reasonable, I’m the only one who thinks this is a story, and they think I’m unfair and biased by pursuing it.

Obama’s sycophantic MSM cohorts at the Washington Post, the LA Times, and the New York Times, have been “reasonable“. Well, that is one way of putting it, I suppose. Though I prefer fawning boot-lickers, but to each his own.

Update: Now back to Holder’s questionable answer to the question:

CBS’s Sharyl Attkisson

WASHINGTON – New documents obtained by CBS News show Attorney General Eric Holder was sent briefings on the controversial Fast and Furious operation as far back as July 2010. That directly contradicts his statement to Congress.

On May 3, 2011, Holder told a Judiciary Committee hearing, “I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks.”
……
The Justice Department told CBS News Holder misunderstood that question from the committee – he did know about Fast and Furious – just not the details.

Eric Holder’s May 3, 2011 Judiciary Committee hearing testimony:

The question begins at around 1:13:

Darrell Issa: When did you first know of the program, officially I believe called Fast and Furious, to the best of your knowledge what date?

Holder: I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks

Wow, that was some complicated question. Issa should not of expected a man chosen to head the –U.S. Department of Justice– to understand. It was way over the simpletons head. He should perhaps dumb the questions down next time ’round.

Update 2: The caca is hitting the spinning, circular cooling device.

Gunwalker: House Wants Special Counsel To Investigate Eric Holder
The House Judiciary Committee will request an independent perjury investigation.

House Republicans are going to call for a special counsel to determine whether Attorney General Holder perjured himself during his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Operation Fast and Furious, Fox News has learned.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, is sending a letter to President Obama arguing that Holder cannot investigate himself and will request a probe by a special counsel.

The question is whether Holder committed perjury during a Judiciary Committee hearing in May. At the time, Holder indicated he was not familiar with with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives program known as Fast and Furious
……
So far, Holder’s PR defense is that he didn’t understand the following question: “When did you first hear about Operation Fast and Furious?”

President Barack Obama now finds himself in a complicated predicament at a time which already marks the low point of public opinion regarding his performance, and as his hopes of re-election fade. If Obama opposes the appointment of a special prosecutor for the perjury investigation (and by extension, Operation Fast and Furious and other alleged gunwalking operations), he immediately saddles his campaign with questions of obstructing a lawful and legitimate call for an independent investigation. Operation Fast and Furious will immediately become a key story for the 2012 campaign, though it has so far been largely ignored by the media. [...]

Update: Mark Hemingway at The Weekly Standard asks:

Is CBS News Silencing Fast and Furious Reporter?

Today, I called CBS News in an attempt to interview Attkisson. I was told by CBS News senior vice president of communications Sonya McNair that Attkisson would be unavailable for interviews all week. When I asked why Attkisson would be unavailable, McNair would not say.

I’ve also heard from a producer at another media outlet that has previously booked Attkisson that they tried to book her since she made news with the Laura Ingraham interview yesterday. They were also told that she would be unavailable.

Read the rest.

Update 2: Jay Carney’s Message To Reporters ‘Screamed At’ By Sources: Toughen Up

(Mediate) At Wednesday’s White House daily briefing, Fox News Chief White House Correspondent Ed Henry asked Press Secretary Jay Carney to respond to a report that a White House official had “screamed and cussed at” CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson, over the unfolding Fast and Furious story. Carney said he didn’t know about that specific conversation, but elaborated in his response that, in general, “hard-bitten journalists” ought to be able to handle “tough conversations” and “an extra decibel or two in a phone conversation.”

Henry related Attkisson’s claim, which she made on Laura Ingraham‘s radio show. ”Sharyl Attkisson, a CBS News reporter, said, a few days ago that a White House official just yelled and screamed at her, she’s been reporting on this for some time, about this whole story,” Henry said.

He then framed his question within Carney’s experience as a journalist. “You were a reporter once, when government officials start yelling at you, sometimes it’s because they’re getting defensive, right?”

“I have no insight into the conversation she may, or may not, have had,” Carney began. ”I know that you guys are all hard-bitten veteran journalists, and probably don’t complain when you have tough conversations with sources sometimes.”

Hey Carney! Attkisson was attempting a professional journalistic inquiry with officials within the Obama administration, not some source. Keyword: Professional, you twerp.

Besides, she’s a third-degree black belt in taekwondo, so my guess would be, she is much tougher than a candy ass such as yourself.

Meanwhile @SharylAttkisson tweeted:

Don’t worry! Nobody is being silenced. Thanks for the interest in the reporting on Gunwalker. #atf #ff #gunwalker

I guess we will have to take her word for now…

H/T JammieWearingFool

Previously:
Fast and Furious Lies

Proof That Obama Ordered and Holder Had Full Knowledge of ‘Operation Fast and Furious’(?)

See related links below for more.