Marking the first time a cabinet official has ever been the subject of a vote, the House of Representatives today held Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. Republicans members called for the vote after Holder declined to provide documents as part of a congressional investigation into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms operation nicknamed “Fast and Furious.”

The 255 -to-67 vote, which fell largely along party lines, was a bit of political theater, with most Democrats declining to vote and instead exiting the House chamber and gathering on the lawn outside the Capitol. The walkout was engineered by Reps. John Lewis of Georgia and James Clyburn of South Carolina, who gave impassioned speeches defending Holder, who is the first black attorney general in U.S. history.

In the “Fast and Furious” operation, which began in 2006 during the George W. Bush administration, ATF agents allowed thousands of firearms to enter Mexico as a means of investigating that country’s drug cartels. The investigation began after the December 2010 death a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent who was killed in a firefight in which the suspect used a gun that was being tracked by the “Fast and Furious” operation.

Holder has testified about the operation before Congress 11 times since the investigation began. Last week, the White House invoked executive privilege over documents pertaining to the ATF program.

In a statement released shortly after today’s House vote, White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer dismissed the contempt charges as a “transparently political stunt.”

While some House Democrats voted, most left the building and assembled outside. Among those observing: Pauly Shore.

Photo by @ryanjreilly