She can still show up and say nothing, and the penalty is Contempt of Congress. They’ll be lucky to manage to slap her wrist on her way back to her sinecure at the IRS.
She will show and claim 5th amendment rights. Our side will say she waived them. Their side will say she didn’t. Then what? I would love to believe she will be compelled to tell the truth but liberals lie, cheat and steal.
So? At least this will get more publicity for the fact that she took the fifth in the first place.
“They’ll be lucky to manage to slap her wrist”
Or, like Susan McDougal, she can spend over a year in prison contemplating whether she should testify or not.
She can still show up and say nothing, and the penalty is Contempt of Congress. They’ll be lucky to manage to slap her wrist on her way back to her sinecure at the IRS.
She cannot say nothing. The committee can ask her 20 or more exact question then after each one she gets to say "I am invoking my 5th Amendment rights and decline to answer" This does not look good on TV.
Not the point. She or anyone else can say "I don't recall" just like the Clinton's did. However if she does that she will be damned by the questions asked her if not by her (non) answers.
Lerner now has a choice between testifying and going to jail until she agrees to testify (see McDougal, Susan).
Her attorney knows this. And will advise her of a third option: immunity. Indeed, he has likely begun negotiations with the Committee over exactly this issue.
At some point, probably sooner rather than later, Lerner will spill her guts in a deposition -- and Issa, Gowdy, et al will learn more about how far up the chain-of-command this scandal goes.
Conceivably, Lerner may never testify in an open hearing -- until it's time to wrap this thing up.