Posted on 03/07/2014 2:40:52 PM PST by smoothsailing
By JOHN BRESNAHAN and LAUREN FRENCH | 3/7/14 2:00 PM EST Updated: 3/7/14 3:53 PM EST
Not even a trove of new evidence will stop Darrell Issa from going after Lois Lerner’s testimony.
The House Oversight Committee Chairman is plowing forward with plans to hold the former IRS official in contempt of Congress - possibly as early as next week - despite word from the tax agency that it plans to hand over a broad set of documents spanning Lerner’s entire career at the IRS.
Republicans have long sought the documents and complained the IRS wasn’t sharing the whole picture on Lerner’s 12-year tenure at the agency. The documents will officially go to the Ways and Means Committee but the two panels are sharing evidence.
A senior Republican staffer insists that won’t stop Issa, who caused a stir this week when his rift with Democrats stole the spotlight at a combative hearing. He will still likely seek her testimony, this person said.
“The underlying facts of the case and her refusal to testify have not changed,” said the senior House Republican staffer, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) joined calls to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress after she asserted her Fifth Amendment right during a Wednesday hearing. Issa has suggested that Congress could hold a contempt vote early as next week.
......
The timing of the IRS agreeing to turn over the documents - which House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) has been seeking for months - caused Democrats to question whether gaining access to a trove of new emails and documents could take some off the pressure off congressional Republicans to move quickly on Lerner’s refusal to testify.
“Maybe more level heads on Ways and Means can finally obtain her testimony instead of holding political contempt votes,” an Oversight Democratic staffer said.
But the GOP aide said that Democrats were mistaken if they thought they could drive a wedge between Camp and Issa by giving the documents to Camp just as the contempt debate heats up.
“We have done a pretty good job at keeping everyone on the same page,” said the aide.
Camp first asked for the communications from the IRS last fall. The Michigan Republican sent a letter to the IRS on Feb. 24 threatening a subpoena if they did not quickly make more of the documents available.
“Plowing ahead” is a poor choice of words as it triggers bad memories of Elijah Cummings toiling in the cotton fields.
Cummings is another liberal, corrupt and ignorant fool. And that is many levels below any poo poo head. How did such incompetence ever get elected? By other fools.
Because she previously made a statement under oath professing her innocence, so she willingly gave up her 5th amendment right with regards to these proceedings. She can’t have it both ways.
Snort! Can’t you just picture ole Elijah toiling in the cotton fields of the Baltimore ghetto in his two thousand dollar suit! Oh the humanity!
Maybe W was notified as to what she was up to in the later years, the years of zero’s ascendancy, and every single communication she’s made since she starting hunting conservatives are archived.
There’s a reason Gowdy’s so confident and Issa is dragging this out.
TEA didn’t start trying to form non-profits until 08 or 09, but certainly Plouffe, Axelrod anticipated the type of people (us) who would most likely put a stop to them and planned their Lerner strategy in 07.
Yes Issa is the bully he then again the dem’s are helpful and inclusive LOL just ask Waxman and Barney Frank. Why can’t the Republicans release this stuff , they knew what would happen, the stupid party.
Let’s go back, January 11th, 2007, on the floor of the House, Barney Frank is running the House at this moment. He’s the chairman of the proceedings at that moment, and he and a Republican from North Carolina, Patrick McHenry, have this little back and forth.
FRANK: Yes, the gentleman may state the inquiry.
McHENRY: So the chair is saying that I may not offer an amendment —
FRANK: (pounding gavel)
McHENRY: — exempting —
FRANK: The gentleman will sus’thpend! (pounding gavel)
McHENRY: — American Samoa from this legislation?
FRANK: (pounding gavel) The gentleman will sus’thpend!! The gentleman is making a speech and will sus’thpend! The chair is not saying anything.
McHENRY: If the chair will let me finish my question...
FRANK: (pounds gavel) The gentleman will sus’thpend!! The chair has answered the gentleman’s question. The gentlemen will state the point of order.
McHENRY: How many times did our distinguished —
FRANK: No! No! (pounding gavel) The gentleman... (pounding gavel) The gentleman (pounding gavel) ‘’How many times...?’’ could not conceivably be a point of order! The —
McHENRY: If the chair will not answer my question —
FRANK: The gentleman will not inter’wupt. (pounding gavel)
HOUSE: (laughter)
McHENRY: Is exempted —
FRANK: (pounding gavel)
McHENRY: — from this legislation.
FRANK: (pounding gavel) The gentleman will not, eh, uh (coughing) — While, the chair is presiding, will not make speeches in the guise of a parliament inquiry. Comments —
McHENRY: Yeah. These were —
FRANK: (pounding gavel) No, no! The gentlemen will sus’thpend!
McHENRY: Then the —
FRANK: (slamming gavel harder) The gentlemen from Texas — !
McHENRY: Point of order!
FRANK: (screaming) The gentlemen from Texas will sus’thpend! (pounding gavel)
McHENRY: The distinguished speaker was out of order in the past!
FRANK: (banging gavel)
RUSH: No, I would never turn off a Republican’s microphone, I would never let them not say what they wanted to say. I don’t get caught up in that. That’s Barney Frank refusing to let Patrick McHenry say anything. That sounded very mean to me, I mean, Barney Frank really sounded mean to me there. Issa didn’t sound mean when he talked to Elijah Cummings. But Barney Frank sounded power mad mean there. So let’s listen to Issa. Well, Waxman, Henry Waxman, in May of 2008, threatened Issa. Let’s listen to that. This is about seven seconds. It goes by quickly.
ISSA: Members that could yield you time (gavel banging) I would ask that you — (gavel banging)
WAXMAN: I will have you physically removed from this meeting if you don’t stop.
RUSH: That was Henry Waxman to Darrell Issa. That was in 2008, “I will have you physically removed if you don’t stop.” What was it Cummings said? We would never cut off anybody’s microphone. We would never shut anybody up. We would never throw anybody out of here. I would fight to make sure that didn’t happen. Here’s Issa, Fox News last night, The Kelly File asked about this.
ISSA: I broke no rules and he broke the decorum of the House. But I might mention that several years ago Henry Waxman pounded a gavel and said he would have me removed because I was pointing out that he was breaking the rules. We didn’t launch any sort of a House attempt, and I certainly didn’t say that he was somehow anti-Arab-American. The fact is that I did things according to the rules, I followed a script, and then Mr. Cummings decided to have quite a hissy fit. The truth is, if he wants to talk, I give him lots of chances to talk.
RUSH: Yeah, but you see what this has become? And over here’s Lois Lerner, who’s taken the Fifth Amendment because she won’t incriminate herself in whatever it was this administration had the IRS doing to the Tea Party. That’s what’s over there, and this other meaningless pap is what this narrative has become. Did Issa treat little Elijah mean, with disrespect? And was he racist? It’s so beneath. It’s just pathetic. Just absolutely pathetic. The media are destructive agents like I haven’t seen before.
I think cummings and jackson lee of houston are clones or twins.
The first TEA Party rallies were in the spring of ‘09 so I don’t see how anyone could have been specifically targeting them before that. Conservatives in general is another matter.
IMO by her talking to DOJ investigators, she has shown she is not really afraid of incriminating herself..one of the requirements of taking the 5th amendment..
She NEGATED her Fifth the first time she “testified” by giving a SPEECH and saying she was INNOCENT!!!
I know, I was just replying to someone who threw out ‘oh, so this started under BUSH..’
This is J Edgar Hoover of the FBI.
I know I'm in there, and if I don't come out with my hands up....I a-comin in after myself.
TEA didn’t start trying to form non-profits until 08 or 09,...
Hey Elijah! HE WHO LAUGHS LAST, LAUGHS BEST!!!
THAT… is PRICELESS!!!
Yes, replying to this:
The article says that Lerner has been at the IRS for 12 years. So... Bush did it? What’s up with that?
39 posted on 3/7/2014 5:39:37 PM by Two Kids’ Dad
Yes, I realize TEA was born in ‘09, I was just saying that no doubt the enemy was thinking of destroying us long before were them.
She was involved in some shenanigans in her previous job I think in Illinois
Don’t blame that on Issa or Congress. The lawsuit is lost in a D.C. Court System.
TEA didn’t start trying to form non-profits until 08 or 09,...
Probably wasn't in '08.
Well, FR was TEA before TEA and we were here in 08, so your hair-splitting is curious.
I also seem to remember Lerner being connected to WACO.. there is a thread about it.
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