Somebody needs to GO TO JAIL!
But, these people are above the law and the craven sycophants who claim to be journalists are not calling them on it.
>> Somebody needs to GO TO JAIL!
Lerner has been found in Contempt of Congress, and Koskinen certainly has been contumacious and should be held in Contempt of Congress.
Congress has the authority to arrest and imprison those found in Contempt. The power extends throughout the United States and is an inherent power (does not depend upon legislated act)
If found in Contempt the person can be arrested under a warrant of the Speaker of the House of Representatives or President of the Senate, by the respective Sergeant at Arms.
Statutory criminal contempt is an alternative to inherent contempt.
Under the inherent contempt power Congress may imprison a person for a specific period of time or an indefinite period of time, except a person imprisoned by the House of Representatives may not be imprisoned beyond adjournment of a session of Congress.
Imprisonment may be coercive or punitive.
Some references
[1] Joseph Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution, Volume 2, § 842
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/print_documents/a1_5s21.html
[2] Anderson v. Dunn - 19 U.S. 204 - “And, as to the distance to which the process might reach, it is very clear that there exists no reason for confining its operation to the limits of the District of Columbia; after passing those limits, we know no bounds that can be prescribed to its range but those of the United States.”
http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/19/204/case.html
[3] Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125
http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/294/125/case.html
73rd Cong., 78 Cong. Rec. 2410 (1934)
https://archive.org/details/congressionalrec78aunit
[4] McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135 - Under a warrant issued by the President of the Senate the Deputy to the Senate Sergeant at Arms arrested at Cincinnati, Ohio, Mally S. Daugherty, who had been twice subpoenaed by the Senate and twice failed to appear.
http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/273/135/case.html
[5] Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule IV Duties of the Sergeant at Arms - [] execute the commands of the House, and all processes issued by authority thereof, directed to him by the Speaker.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/HMAN-105/pdf/HMAN-105-pg348.pdf
[6] An analysis of Congressional inquiry, subpoena, and enforcement
http://www.constitutionproject.org/documents/when-congress-comes-calling-a-primer-on-the-principles-practices-and-pragmatics-of-legislative-inquiry/
Let’s simply have the House defund the IRS until the emails are found. Also pass a companion bill that says that the IRS may not assess taxes against any taxpayer based in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, on the basis that the taxpayer is unable to produce emails or other electronically stored data, or printouts thereof, which may or may not relate to the question of whether the tax alleged to be due is in fact due. Further, if the taxpayer refuses to answer any question posed to him or her by the IRS, on the basis that answering might tend to incriminate him/her (Fifth Amendment) all tax related issues relating to such questions asked shall be deemed conclusively resolved in the taxpayer’s favor, without the right of appeal by the U.S. Gov’t.. Let’s just even the playing field. (Oh, and one more detail, the provisions of this exemption for taxpayers shall not apply for the benefit of any employee, agent, attorney, or elected official of the U.S. Government.)