Posted on 05/22/2013 7:33:36 AM PDT by fooman
I do not understand why she was not made to answer every question. And why has Congress not subpoenaed her computer (home and office)?
Good. Trey Gowdy gets it!
I like Issa’s willlingness to rumble, but I’ve never been all that impressed with his skills. He’s ineffectual. A lot of going through the motions but precious little in the way of results.
Good for him.
That idiot Judge — Lance Ito — let O.J. Simpson tell the jury from counsel table “I am one hundred percent not guilty”, without O.J. being obliged to take the stand, swear in or be cross-examined.
“Gowdy’s definitely one of the good guys.”
Gowdy should be the Speaker of the House!
Man! I haven’t seen anything like that since the old days of grilling mob bosses. When asked a question, their lawyer would whisper in their ear, then they would plea the 5th.
Hope she has plenty of life insurance.....
>> beat the crap/truth outta her(that’s MY job)?
Yeah, I noticed how you elbowed your way to the front of the crowd yesterday. :-)
In the end, it’ll come to a whole lot of nothing. That’s the way this “conservative” Congress operates.
She (or who s advising her) is very stupid or she is looking for a way to cut an immunity deal without looking like a traitor.
If its the latter, then Issa may have his Rosetta Stone to the Obama IRS abuses of power.
If its the first option, we will be treated to a bit of added drama when she is recalled for testimony, pleads the 5 th to all sorts of damaging and embarrassing questions, and is then arrested and perp walked out after her testimony
BIG MISTAKE!
She should have been made to evoke the 5th all morning long till she lost her voice.
Issa appears to want to move on developing the case.
The goal is criminal prosecutions.
Having Congressmen ask great questions and get a plea the 5th answer would make a lot of “implied” guilt TV moments, but would not help very much in getting to the ultimate resolution.
Also, with Dems saying this is all a political show, it’s not wise, IMHO, to use up political capital pushing this today.
The public now saw a real demonstration that Issa is NOT pursuing a political show for it’s own sake.
You no testify ? Next !
There can be backroom negotiations to offer her immunity, there are certainly others being pursued right now which will yield damning evidence.
This investigation only has until Obama’s term ends, the clock is ticking.
And we want to get all the real guilty people to take the fall, as much as possible, starting from the top down.
When the GOP doesn't screw-up, you have to make it sound like they did. You are really invested in failure.
You're not the only one. Lots of hearing and camera time. Still waiting for someone to go to jail.
I know it *cant* happen, but I want to see impeachment or least big gains by the TEA party wing of the party.
How do you make someone answer? I guess they could water-board her, but that makes for bad press.
“Mrs. Learner when did you come up with the idea to prevent the increase of Tea Party opposition by using stalling tactics and intimidation.”
I plead the 5th!
“Mrs. Learner when did you inform the president and get the go ahead from the president!”
I plead the 5th.
No, what he could have done was say,
“OK, Miss Lerner, but we haven’t asked you any questions yet, and since you aren’t just testifying in front of us, but in front of all the other taxpayers that will be tuning in to watch this through the various means with which they may do that, we’d like you to at least listen to a question or two first before you decide you want to invoke.”
To which Lerner would say:
“I’m indicating that I won’t answer any question you put before me today, and as such, refuse to testify?”
To which Issa would say:
“Ms Lerner, you don’t see any irony in your invoking your fifth amendment right, even before we’ve asked any questions, and your agency’s established practice of habitually violating everybody elses first, fourth, and probably seventh amendment rights under that very same document?
That’s one question I’d like to see you answer before you walk out of here today.
Here’s another, unless you’ve got another pressing engagement, do you think you might humor us and at least listen to some questions today and decide on invoking after each one? We’ve gone to all the trouble to get together today, and since we have oversight on your agency, we just thought you might like to at least convey a little concern that either incompetence on a scale we haven’t invented yet, or criminality on a scale that I think will actually help bridge the gap between the two parties in terms of agreeing on its ability to shatter the founders original vision of liberty.
It was your watch, after all, and I’d like to ask you, as the captain, why your boat’s on the rocks and your passengers have been robbed, raped of their privacy, and exposed to the political elements? I’d like to do it before we consider you for becoming captain of the good ship Obamacare, which the IRS is going to be enforcing on everyone who wasn’t lucky enough to wangle an exception.
To be more plain, I’m going to insist you humor us today, if it isn’t too much trouble. Sound Constitutional to you and your attorney, Ms. Lerner?
And, before you leave, you are going to answer my first question, about the irony of relying on the Constitution here today, when the question before us is whether the IRS is decent enough to allow the rest of us that benefit in their dealings with the IRS?.”
Incumbent Repubs benefit, incumbent Dems don’t suffer much unless they are personally implicated.
I thought Congress had the authority, via vote by each House, to grant immunity as well.
Also, she can provide a “proffer” (sp?) indicating what she would say if granted immunity.
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.