Posted on 03/07/2014 3:10:32 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
The Congressional investigation into whether the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups for persecution ended today on a controversial note after former official Lois Lerner refused to answer questions. The rough day for the investigation followed the release of emails corroborating political targeting of groups.
The emails, obtained by the House's investigative committee, indicated that Lerner, in her official capacity, aimed to target political groups out of concern that the Citizens United ruling would lead to more suspicious or inappropriate tax filings. The ruling repealed much of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and allowed individuals and political groups to contribute more to political candidates and parties.
According to Politico, many of the emails involved investigating political corporate entities and tax exempt groups. One of the emails links Lerner's work specifically to Crossroads GPS, a conservative group led by Karl Rove. In another, she lists different types of political organizations that needed to be checked for potential suspicious activity. In one bit of correspondence, Lerner argues that she felt pressure from above to target the groups. "They want the IRS to fix the problem... Everybody is screaming at us right now," she said, according to the committee's report. It is never specified who "they" are, and Lerner did not provide any new details in today's hearing. Representatives of the IRS have defended Lerner as doing "what she was supposed to do" in targeting the groups for investigation.
The former IRS official did not cooperate with the committee today, pleading her Fifth Amendment rights so often that Chairman Issa simply adjourned the meeting.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Arkacide just around the corner?
Had she been a republican, it would have been "chose not to incriminate herself..."
Since one uses the fifth amendment to avoid “self incrimination” it follows that she and her lawyers think that by testifying she would incriminate herself. She may, though, be more concerned about what would happen to her if she incriminated others.
That occurred to me. But I really think she went to the (in)Justice Dept to get the script. If she ever does testify, it will not implicate anyone at the higher levels of this Admin. They are bulletproof. There is NO JUSTICE in this (in)Justice Dept.
The Justice Department serves as a protection racket for the President.
Can Lois Lerner be sued by individuals who have been oppressed by the IRS?
She is a servant of the people. We pay her damn salary. If we had a employee who broke the rules of the company and refused to come clean, she would be escorted from the building with her stuff in cardboard boxes.
We know they did it. We know who wanted them to do it.
And Lerner is pleading the Fifth for one reason: she very well knows that the targeting was approved and ordered by one of President Obama’s closest advisors—possibly Valerie Jarrett or former advisor David Axelrod. And was personally signed off by President Obama and possibly even Vice-President Biden.
YOU HAVE NO SUCH RIGHTS BEFORE CONGRESS, It is not a “Court””
In 1821, the Supreme Court upheld Congress’s right to hold people in contempt and imprison them. Without this power, the court ruled, Congress would “be exposed to every indignity and interruption, that rudeness, caprice, or even conspiracy, may mediate against it.” Later, in a 1927 case arising from the Teapot Dome scandal, the court upheld the Senate’s arrest of the brother of a former attorney general — carried out in Ohio by the deputy sergeant at arms — for ignoring a subpoena to testify.
The Congressional Research Service issued a report in July that confirmed Congress’s inherent contempt powers. It explained how they work: “The individual is brought before the House or Senate by the sergeant at arms, tried at the bar of the body, and can be imprisoned in the Capitol jail.” Congress can do this, the report concluded, to compel them to testify or to punish them for their refusal to do so. “
The left knows that they can get away with political activity and keep their tax exempt status (think “black churches”). What they were mad about was the codifying of the legality of both sides doing it.
A Congressional investigation is not a criminal case.
Obstructing or impeding a Congressional investigation is a crime.
A witness under oath before a congressional committee who willfully gives false testimony is subject to prosecution for perjury under 18 U.S.C. § 1621.
False statements by a person in “any investigation or review, conducted pursuant to the authority of any committee, subcommittee, commission or office of the Congress, consistent with applicable rules of the House and Senate” are punishable under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 by a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 1505 whoever corruptly obstructs, or impedes the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress— Shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years or, if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism (as defined in section 2331), imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.
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