Posted on 07/11/2014 7:13:47 AM PDT by PoloSec
Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman filed a resolution calling for the arrest of former IRS official Lois Lerner over the Internal Revenue Service nonprofit targeting scandal Thursday.
Lerner, alongside the IRS, are under investigation for unfairly scrutinizing conservative nonprofits for tax-exempt status.
“Asking the Justice Department to prosecute Lois Lerner for admittedly illegal activity is a joke,” Stockman said. “The Obama administration will not prosecute the Obama administration. How much longer will the House allow itself to be mocked? It is up to this House to uphold the rule of law and hold accountable those who illegally targeted American citizens for simply having different ideas than the President.” (RELATED: Lerner Warned Colleagues In 2013: Congress Will Ask For Our Emails)
Stockman’s resolution instructs the House’s Sergeant at Arms — its chief law enforcement officer — to arrest Lerner on charges of contempt of Congress. The Sergeant at Arms is directed by the House speaker, currently Ohio Republican John Boehner.
The House voted to hold Lerner in contempt for refusing to testify before Congress in May by a vote of 231-187. (RELATED: Lerner Did Print Out ‘Some’ Emails, After All)
Congress does have the power to arrest individuals held in contempt — a fact recently referenced by the popular show “House of Cards,” when the Senate Sergeant at Arms was directed to arrest absent senators. The power is, however, used very rarely.
Stockman’s resolution accuses Lerner of “refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, thereby obstructing the Congress in the lawful exercise of its constitutionally mandated legislative powers,” calling her behavior “an insult to the dignity of the House of Representatives [and] an attack upon the integrity of its proceedings, [which] works violence upon the rights of the House collectively, and therefore implicates the long-recognized inherent power of the House to punish and commit for contempt, privileged under the Constitution.”
If arrested, Lerner “shall enjoy no special privileges beyond those extended to her fellow inmates, shall not access any computer or telephone, and shall not be visited by anyone other than her counsel, clergy, physician, or family.”
Pelosi, CNN and the New York Times all endorsed the House's power to arrest those in contempt of Congress. I hope they'll be consistent.
Bad precedent.
I suppose this makes some good news. But it’s water off a duck’s back to Lois and her protectors. The news outlets aren’t even bothering to mention it today, as far as I can tell.
Exactly how so?
My guess would be because it would be far more likely to be used against the TEA party than any government official.
If this were close to actually happening, Lerner would, A: find a quiet park to off herself with a gun that never was known to be in her possession, or B: keel over from that heart problem that she was never known to have.
God, I can’t wait until next January and that testosterone-free Boehner is replaced.
We either have the rule of law (a Republic) or the rule of men (Oligarchy). This regime and it’s minions clearly scoff at laws. Our founders wisely gave the House this power as a check against a lawless regime and Attorney General. Why is it a bad precedent to enforce law?
Couldn’t she just do a Hillary style knock on the head.
Well, that would require a majority Democrat House of Representatives, wouldn’t it? Keep in mind, this action is NOT subject to voting in the Senate. They have no say so in this matter.
To me, votes on this resolution would be supremely INVALUABLE in identifying pure RINO appeasers in Congress that MUST be targeted for removal on their next primary.
I want to see this b!tch in House Jail, and if she doesn’t truthfully spit out the truth, in serious hard time PRISON.
================================================
EXHIBIT TWO Earlier, Lerner used her then-FEC position to save Illinois Dummycrat Dick Durbin’s US Senate seat back in 1996. She conducted an inquisition into Durbin's opponent for alleged election law violations....and it worked. Dicky triumphed.
....2014 Dicky Durbin's running scared, again ....as well he should.......
As far back as 2008, at the presidential debate in Nashville, candidate Obama advanced his signature plan that was ultimately enacted (by an historic straight Democrat party-line vote) into the "Affordable Care Act:
QUOTING OBAMA: "No. 1, let me just repeat, if you’ve got a health care plan that you like, you can keep it. All I’m going to do is help you to lower the premiums on it. You’ll still have choice of doctor.”
Repeated over and over ---- with the promise that every American would be saving $2500.00 on healthcare costs.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN SALUTES SMARTLY: “We Democrats believe — and we stand by this — if you like your current health insurance plan, you will be able to keep it, plain and simple, straightforward.” (Sen. Durbin, Congressional Record, S.6401, 6/10/09)
DURBIN'S VOTERS HAVE NOT SEEN SUCH LOCK-STEPPING PARTY LOYALTY SINCE 1930-40's ERA EUROPE
Well, could be VinceFosterish I suppose. ObamaCide...
“The ‘vicious Right Wing’ drove her to suicide. Just looking at that bug-eyed Gowdy guy gives me the willies. Yeh, Val, makes sense to me. Call Eric and get’er done.”
But these clarion calls from "conservative" Republican representatives may do them some good with the base back home, but have absolutely no effect on reality at all.
OK, Stockman ain't too bad,but he knows damn well no one is "arresting" anyobody. Most of this stuff is an hypocritical attempt, IMNVHO, to co-opt the Tea Party, (whatever TF the "Tea Party" is.)
If we can turn out the vote this fall, doubtless the Republicans will take the House and the Senate. Hurrah. Hurrah! (and BFD) Where's the Leader, where's the Program, where's the Plan to implement it?
Without a leader, a program, and a plan, a contrary Congress might make us all feel good, but unfortunately it will make Team Obama feel even better.
Additionally, if it had the potential to be used against the Tea Party, exactly how much different than that is what they’ve already done?
The IRS’ targeting and harassment of Tea Party is a purely evident fact. It is why this resolution even exists now. If they are not absolutely pummeled into dust with this now, we will see a confluence of IRS, ATF, FBI, DHS and a host of other agencies converging on those pesky Tea Party sentiment Americans in an all-out silent war (the media will be silent on this). If not now, when? If not when, why?
I don’t see a downside here, myself.
Make that an “allegedly contrary” Congress. If the GOPe runs true to form, they will gladly use their new-found majority not to get things which need to be done accomplished, but to increase their cut of the swag and to further safeguard the interests of their major contributors.
If she's arrested then where do they lock her up? Washington's tomb?
Funny Steve threw in ‘clergy’.
You know, if Ted could have foreseen MS, I bet he would have dropped his promise to stay out of incumbent races and Stockman would be our new Senator today.
Go for it!
I like the idea of arresting Lerner and arresting Holder and throwing them in the same jail cell where they can flip a coin each night to determine who gets to sleep on the slab and who gets to sleep on the floor.
FReegards!
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.