Republicans surrender? Shocking indeed.
Posted on 03/10/2014 4:23:14 PM PDT by smoothsailing
March 10, 2014
The House Oversight Committee is unlikely to consider potential contempt charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner this week, a GOP aide said Monday.
Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) had said that he could move on holding Lerner in contempt this week, after the former head of an IRS tax-exempt division invoked her Fifth Amendment rights for a second time on Wednesday. But Issa likely won’t meet that timeline, after a dust-up between the California Republican and the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), dominated headlines late last week.
Frederick Hill, a spokesman for Issa, said separately Monday that: “As required by the rules, a business meeting announcement and contempt report will give members at least three business days notice."
The House is scheduled to be out of Washington next week, meaning the Oversight panel would probably be unable to consider contempt charges before late March.
Congressional Republicans have intensified their interest in the IRS in recent months, with GOP lawmakers insisting that all roads in their investigation lead back to Lerner.
But the confrontation between Issa and Cummings on Wednesday — the Oversight chairman used a throat-slashing gesture to cut the Democrat’s microphone — overshadowed Lerner’s return to the Oversight hearing room. Issa apologized to Cummings on Thursday after Democrats called for stripping him of the Oversight gavel.
"It became crystal clear last week that the IRS investigation is being driven by politics, but given the widespread criticism the Chairman got for his abusive actions — especially from Republicans — it's not surprising now that they have to put off the contempt vote,” a Democratic aide said Monday.
Delaying a contempt vote in Oversight would allow those tensions from last week’s hearing to simmer, and give the GOP another chance to put the focus squarely on Lerner.
The retired IRS official first took the Fifth in May 2013, less than two weeks after she became the first agency official to apologize for the improper scrutiny the IRS gave to Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status.
The Oversight panel later ruled that she waived her Fifth Amendment rights by proclaiming her innocence in her May opening statement.
But Lerner’s lawyer, Bill Taylor, has said he believes that the federal courts will reject that ruling, and that he doesn’t believe Congress will get his client’s testimony.
Taylor and Issa’s staff were unable to reach a final agreement for Lerner to testify, after negotiations that lasted until shortly before Wednesday’s hearing. Taylor has also said that he discussed potential immunity for his client’s testimony with the Oversight panel.
The IRS did agree last week to supply House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), who is also investigating the IRS’s treatment of conservative groups, with a wide range of Lerner’s emails and other documents.
Camp and other Republicans have complained that the agency had been slow to meet its requests for documents.
Ah that’s nice.
Hey, chiceknsh!t GOP, how about you shut down the IRS entirely for institutionalized corruption.
The citizens of this country do not deserve to be victimized by the ***damn government.
Miserable EXEMPT bastards like Issa are the reason
there was FAST&furious, followed by Benghazi,
followed by the coverup of the Boston Atrocity,
followed by the IRS Atrocity, to the NSA Atrocity.
EXEMPT Issa and Cummings are at the root of all evil
pervading and murdering America.
It’d sure be nice to know if Chairman Issa has any staff that know the procedures of the House.
From what’s been taking place with this fiasco it seems not.
I’m beginning to hold Darrell Issa in contempt.
The US is a banana republic. Get used to it. Quit the fantasy that some of these corrupt legislators are going to do anything of substance.
It isn’t going to happen.
The republic is dead. Period. Starting generating some serious plans to CYA. The free for all is getting closer.
Republicans surrender? Shocking indeed.
GOP equals Gutless Obamabottom Punks.
Only the GOP can save Soetoro. They are right on cue.
Cummings bitched and Issa shit his panties. No guts No glory.
Cowards! Contempt and jails and nothing less until she talks! The IRS RUINED people and engaged in political intimidation! These people must answer for their crimes!
Democrats are not being held accountable for violating laws that they find inconvenient.
When do the rest of us get our turn at violating laws we find inconvenient without being held accountable?
The House is scheduled to be out of Washington next week, meaning the Oversight panel would probably be unable to consider contempt charges before late March.
Why not vote at the end of this week? This has dragged out for a year already. Is there some reason why the report could not have been produced today? Or tomorrow?
I am not at all surprised though. The Republicans are a bunch of do-nothings. They are absolutely worthless, they serve no purpose other than to serve themselves personally.
Contempt of Congress? Oh please...stop! You're killing me!
The IRS was one attack vector in the Democrats war to throw the election.
Issa is a thumb sucking moron. He hasn’t produced results in any of his investigations. F&F AP IRS NSA Benghazi Extortion17. Nothing.
Is that Rosa DeLauro or Jonathan Frid?
Somebody got a late-night phone call from a Chicago area code...
I will say it again:
This country has only one party.
FMCDH(BITS)
No one can run out the clock like Issa
CUT OF THEIR MONEY!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.