Posted on 07/07/2015 4:14:22 PM PDT by jazusamo
Full title: Federal Court Orders IRS to Produce Newly Recovered Lois Lerner Emails, IRS Fails to Meet Court Deadline
(Washington, DC ) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton announced today that Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered the IRS last week to begin producing, every Monday, nearly 1,800 newly recovered Lois Lerner emails. Judge Sullivan ruled on the matter from the bench during a status conference on July 1, 2015. Despite the court order, the IRS failed to produce any Lois Lerner emails yesterday. The IRS also failed to provide Judicial Watch a status of the Lois Lerner email production issues, as also ordered by Judge Sullivan.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) recovered the emails from IRS back-up tapes. TIGTA was able to locate the Lois Lerner back-up tapes within one day of requesting them from the IRS.
A report released today by TIGTA on the Lois Lerner email controversy confirms that the IRS failure to timely search its back-up tapes resulted in 24,000 Lois Lerner emails being destroyed. The TIGTA report also confirms that IRS Commissioner John Koskinen delayed informing Congress (and the courts) for months about Lois Lerner’s email issue. (Judge Sullivan ordered the IRS to produce the TIGTA report to chambers the next day for in camera review at the July 1 hearing.)
The TIGTA report details that the Treasury Department also knew about the Lerner email problems for months but made no public disclosure. TIGTA discloses that other records remain missing, including potentially over 300 IRS hard drives. The office of IRS Chief Counsel William J. Wilkins, an Obama political appointee, oversaw the mishandling of the Lois Lerner email issue.
“The IRS, working through the Justice Department, has violated an explicit federal court order to begin turning over Lois Lerner’s ‘lost’ emails,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The Obama IRS’ contempt for the courts and for Congress resulted in a massive destruction of evidence. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen’s and IRS Chief Counsel William J. Wilkins’ resignations are long overdue.”
The developments come in Judicial Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking documents about the Obama IRS’ targeting and harassment of Tea Party and conservative opponents of President Obama ( Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:13-cv-01559)). Judicial Watch’s litigation forced the IRS first to admit that Lerner’s emails were supposedly missing and, then, that the emails were on IRS back-up systems.
In November 2014, the IRS told the court it had failed to search any of the IRS standard computer systems for the “missing” emails of Lerner and other IRS officials.
On February 26, 2015, TIGTA officials testified to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that it had received 744 back-up tapes containing emails sent and received by Lerner. This testimony showed that the IRS had falsely declared to Congress, Judge Sullivan and Judicial Watch that Lerner’s emails were irretrievably lost.
The money went to ISIS and al Qaeda, helped by Issa
and McCain, so count out the treasonous “US” Congress.
Call when someone goes to prison.
Yep, gonna be a very long wait for the call.
Really. Don’t hold yer breath. We will be in prison before any of those folks are.
We also have a rogue government at work to bring us all down, The Marxists SOB absolutely cannot be trusted.
Americans screwed up big time, electing Obama. He indeed has “transformed” the nation.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t it be Loretta Lynch who would need to hold the IRS accountable for ignoring the order? AS IF THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! Obama’s minions all cover for each other. SOP
What does it matter now. We know they degaussed the back up tapes while they were under subpoena.
They sleep with the Hillary emails and the fishes.
Yep, Lynch is no more than Holder in a skirt.
I don’t sense a lot of outrage by the uni-party about IRS foot dragging. My guess is that they are actually perfectly happy having tea party groups ruthlessly suppressed. Nothing can be allowed to stop the government gravy train.
It’s time for some Contempt orders, Judge. Send the U.S. Marshals to their offices with arrest warrants. Make sure they’re all thoroughly deloused.
L
Congressional Republicans should begin the process of contempt citations against IRS officials.
Then, I think Congress actually has some police power to send their officers to arrest the parties cited. I don’t think it has been done before or perhaps not within 100 years, but they won’t get any respect from the criminal element within the Democratic party until they put some of these guys into the pokey.
You’re both right on the mark.
Judge Sullivan and/or Congress needs to bring contempt charges, I believe it’s more likely from the judge but wouldn’t bet either will.
I doubt anyone does time..........
This is pushing the point of how much power does a Federal judge actually have against a determined Federal government? If he issues a contempt citation and the Feds flip him off, what avenues does he have? If he orders Federal marshals to arrest IRS officials, who’s orders will they follow?
If a Congressional investigatory committee issues a subpoena and the subpoena is not complied with then Congress may find the person in Contempt of Congress. A warrant may then be issued to the Sgt at Arms for the arrest and imprisonment of the contemnor.
Didn't Andrew Jackson say something like "How many divisions does the Supreme Court have?" Or, is my memory faulty on this?
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