(Newser)
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The White House's last-ditch effort to avoid a contempt of Congress vote against Eric Holder has failed and John Boehner says the House will move forward with the vote, the AP reports. The Obama administration had offered to show congressional investigators some of the documents related to Fast and Furious, the ATF's failed gun-walking operation, CNN adds. The National Rifle Association is paying close attention to the vote, leading some Democrats—concerned for their prospects in an election year—to cross to the Republican side and vote for contempt.
One of the first Democrats to come forward publicly with his plan to do so is Utah's Jim Matheson, Politico reports. "Utahns expect and deserve transparency and accountability from government officials, especially when a tragedy such as the death of a US Border Patrol agent occurs," he says in a statement. He and 30 other Democratic lawmakers signed a letter to President Obama this month expressing "serious concerns about the Administration's response" to the Fast and Furious investigation. Tomorrow's vote is expected to go mostly along party lines, and it is not yet clear how many Democrats will defect.
