Posted on 03/05/2014 7:14:01 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
California Rep. Darrell Issa adjourned a divisive House Oversight hearing Wednesday after IRS official Lois Lerner pleaded the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer his questions.
“Seeking the truth is the obligation of this committee,” Issa said before announcing that he had no expectation that Lerner would answer his questions and adjourning the hearing.
Lerner invoked the Fifth Amendment on each question Issa asked about the agency’s targeting of conservative groups. The hearing lasted approximately fifteen minutes before Issa released Lerner.
Issa began the hearing by explaining that Lerner previously waived her Fifth Amendment rights in a May 2013 hearing and that “the committee may proceed to consider whether she be held in contempt.”
VIDEO at source.
ssa did not choose to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress on the floor of the hearing. It is unclear at this time if he will choose to pursue contempt charges.
Immediately after Issa adjourned, Democratic Oversight Committee Ranking Member Rep. Elijah Cummings angrily blasted Issa’s efforts. Issa ignored Cummings and shut off the Democrat’s microphone.
“Mr. Chairman, you cannot run a committee like this,” Cummings shouted, calling Issa’s inquiry a “one-sided investigation” and saying, “We’re better than this as a country.”
“I am a member of the Congress of the United States of America, and I am tired of this,” Cummings shouted.
“Close it down,” Issa said, releasing Lerner and angrily cutting Cummings’ microphone.
Issa noted in his remarks that Oversight has “conducted 33 bipartisan, transcribed interviews with employees from the IRS” but that the IRS “continues to withhold” some of Lerner’s emails that Issa requested in his three separate subpoenas for documents.
Alas, in the grave, I suppose.
Issa will have a hearing and nothing will happen. He’s a patsy, a stalking horse, a back bencher, a sandbagger.
Exactly how much evidence do you need? Where have you been the past five years? What was the outcome of Issa's much ballyhooed "Fast and Furious" investigation? Geez, get real!
As someone said above, this is nothing more than kabuki theater.
Greta will likely have him on tonight .... she has no patience for this mess either, so between the two of them, they should be hopping mad and “spitting nails”. Last time I heard Gowdy comment on this, he said Lerner could ‘save herself or go down in flames’. The problem is, SOMEBODY needs to grab the blow torch and turn the thing on ... it’s not going to be Issa.
Issa and Lerner have made a mockery of Congress.
The committee has to vote on it, and he’s not going to do that with the cameras running. Members need to be prepared for the vote. We’ll see what happens behind closed doors.
Excellent Kabuki. Everyone knew what was going to happen ahead of time. Only surprise was to Cummings when the gavel hit the desk before he could get started on his “procedural question.”
Herman’s Hermits Parody “ I’m Pleading The Fifth I Am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWecMlLAWQY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
3rd verse...same as the first.
1.) What did the next Speaker of the House, Trey Gowdy, say at the hearing or to reporters?
2.) Why are we surprised that RINO Obamacrat Issa was surprised? DUH!
Yep and my Senator Merkeley from Oregon is one of them. I wrote him a few days ago demanding Harry Reid resign calling ALL negative health care stories lies.
I then proceeded to nuke him again about pushing the IRS to restrict free political speech. I told him I guess I will be audited by the IRS for criticizing him, as we are not allowed to criticize the D's ever again!
I wish he had Issa’s position.
Watching this crazy thing on CSPAN now. Cummings “going off” after the committee adjourned. You know... there is a way to handle this. Boehner needs to send cummings a letter and explain that he is no longer on the committee. End of story. Have a nice day.
Issa is taking it step by step.
Lerner sprang the first surprise by professing innocence and then taking the Fifth.
Next step: Consult constitutional experts, to see if Lerner was legal in waiving her rights.
I’m assuming the answer was no, since the hearings recommenced.
Next step: Get the pertinent questions before the press and the public at the next televised hearing. Adjourn before the Rats get the airwaves.
Next step: Present arguments for prosecution to the committee and let them vote, off camera.
I’m guessing a bit here, but I give the chairman more credit than some.
Good job——keep it up.
We need to get the apolitical interested in this. Here’s my Facebook post today:
Facebook is mainly a place to keep up with old friends and family. In that vein, I’ve tried to limit my political posts.
But, today I have to say something to all of my friends, because EVERY US citizen needs to recognize this:
FOR THE BETTER PART OF TWO YEARS (OR MORE), THE IRS WAS TARGETING CONSERVATIVE GROUPS.
Fact.
If you are not aware of this issue, I urge you to research it. Start with the Google searches “Lois Lerner” and “not even a smidgen”.
If you will tolerate this, what other forms of government corruption and suppression will you support?
First they came…
Gowdy will go nuts. Will be fun to watch...
Its time for House leadership to investigate Cummings for his part in the coverup. I’d bring this thing right to his front door.
Excellent.
She belongs in prison.
Bring on the Special Prosecutor.
This evil woman is collecting a huge retirement at our expense.
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