Posted on 05/21/2013 10:09:26 PM PDT by Kevin in California
Lois Lerner, the IRS head of exempt organizations division, will invoke the fifth amendment this week rather than answer questions about the recent IRS scandal, according to a letter sent to Congress by her attorney.
This will look very bad to the public. They must be in a lot of trouble to use this tactic.
This is beginning to sound like the Clinton era "protective prosecution" where the DOJ would investigate people to keep them from testifying to Congress. I say embarrass and burden the hell out of Lerner. Also, since the 5th amendment doesn't protect her from testifying against other people, ask her lots of questions about what other people in the IRS did or knew. She'll probably try to weasel out of answering because by knowing others acted illegally and not reporting it she may have also committed a crime, but at least make her squirm publicly.
It was heating up with Benghazi. When they announced the phony apology from the IRS, it made me think that if they announced that, Benghazi is even worse than I thought.
Fast forward a week or so and now we have this? So does that mean that the IRS thing is worse than Benghazi?
Ali Ahmad, Communications Adviser for the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, provided the following statement to Legal Insurrection:
The Committee has been contacted by Ms. Lerner’s lawyer who stated that his client intended to invoke her 5th amendment right and refuse to answer questions. Ms. Lerner remains under subpoena from Chairman Issa to appear at tomorrow’s hearing — the Committee has a Constitutional obligation to conduct oversight. Chairman Issa remains hopeful that she will ultimately decide to testify tomorrow about her knowledge of outrageous IRS targeting of Americans for their political beliefs.
"Ms. Lerner, did the authorization for this IRS targeting come from the White House?"
Lerner: "Based on the 5th amendment of the U.S. constitution, I refuse to answer that question".
That would be rich.
I think what it means is that the administration has suddenly found out it doesn't control the news anymore. That explains the panic. This is getting fun.
One can plead the fith in a court of law and not be viewed as guilty.
However, the court of public opinion is a different matter by itself.
Pleading the fifth tomorrow by that hack Lerner is going to look very bad
on TV, the court of public opinion. Can’t wait to see it.
Once she pleads the 5th in one question she’ll have to plead it on all of them.
She can’t use the Hillary defense: “what difference does it make?” so she has no choice but to plead the 5th since the Obama tactic, “I don’t know” isn’t an option for her either.
Oh yeah.
I’m watching the replay of Greta right now.
Trey Gowdy should leave some scars on her!!!
“So does that mean that the IRS thing is worse than Benghazi?”
Only if it turns some Tea Partiers died by IRS agents actions - and that wouldn’t surprise me either.
“Also, since the 5th amendment doesn’t protect her from testifying against other people, ask her lots of questions about what other people in the IRS did or knew. She’ll probably try to weasel out of answering because by knowing others acted illegally and not reporting it she may have also committed a crime, but at least make her squirm publicly.”
That is a common tactic in this sort of thing. Especially if her testimony does not then line up with the statements of other people who have been called. It is very hard for leftist to get their story straight because they are not used to being challenged. Catch them in perjury then offer them the chance to come clean or spend some serious time in the Federal slammer
That’s really good. She has no respect for the rule of law; the constitution though conveniently uses that to hide behind. This is like a bad movie that we are witnessing.
Anyone who needs to plead the Fifth regarding their conduct in public office needs to be removed from office, made subject of criminal investigation regarding whatever he/she won’t answer questions on, and forbidden to ever seek any other public office.
So they issue her immunity, and who will she give up? Probably no one.
Issa should drag her sorry butt in front of Congress, grill her with questions in which the 5th doesn’t apply, and when she attempts to plead the 5th, throw her sorry butt in jail for contempt of Congress - some dark, dank, moldy lower level cell - until she decides to tell the truth.
They should just give her immunity and force her to testify. No one cares about her jail time.
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