Posted on 05/22/2013 12:34:42 PM PDT by Second Amendment First
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa said embattled IRS official Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment rights and will be hauled back to appear before his panel again.
The California Republican said Lerner’s Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination was voided when she gave an opening statement this morning denying any wrongdoing and professing pride in her government service.
“When I asked her her questions from the very beginning, I did so so she could assert her rights prior to any statement,” Issa told POLITICO. “She chose not to do so — so she waived.”
Lerner triggered the IRS scandal on May 10 when she acknowledged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups applying for a tax exemption. Her lawyer told the House committee earlier this week that she would exercise her Fifth Amendment.
She appeared before Issa’s committee this morning under the order of a subpoena and surprised many by reading a strong statement to the panel.
“I have not done anything wrong,” she said. “I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other committee.”
Issa dismissed her from the committee room once it became clear she wouldn’t answer questions.
Lerner’s decision to speak at all immediately triggered a dust-up among lawmakers who were confused about whether she gave up her Fifth Amendment protections when she made an opening statement.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), a former federal prosecutor, said Lerner lost her rights the minute she started proclaiming her innocence, and that lawmakers therefore were entitled to question her. But Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland said hearing rules were not like those of a courtroom.
During the incident, Issa did not flat-out say whether or not Lerner had indeed waived her rights but instead tried to coax her into staying by offering to narrow the scope of questions.
By the afternoon, Issa was taking a harder stand.
“The precedents are clear that this is not something you can turn on and turn off,” he told POLITICO. “She made testimony after she was sworn in, asserted her innocence in a number of areas, even answered questions asserting that a document was true … So she gave partial testimony and then tried to revoke that.”
He said he was not expecting that.
“I understand from her counsel that there was a plan to assert her Fifth Amendment rights,” he continued. “She went ahead and made a statement, so counsel let her effectively under the precedent, waive — so we now have someone who no longer has that ability.”
“However, now that she’ll be back, and can no longer claim #5, the optics will be even worse — she’ll just be continually refusing to answer — in clear contempt of Congress. The optics of this scenario will be much, much worse for the Administration.”
Viva Breitbart!
Drip, drip, drip....
String it out. Let them deny, deny, deny... then hit them again. And again.
GOP has made it much too easy for these Communists to take over. Simple verbal resistance could have prevented much of the Obamatollah disaster.
Like I say, I want to believe in something to. But this is the GOP we are talking about. The party of stupid.
Not likely.
Yet, the cat is already out
Of the cage, with the video of her proclaiming her innocence on heavy
rotation on all the news networks. Very little of her taking the fifth
That’s ok,,,that means the networks are watching,,,and Lerner is not done. It’s all good. Be patient.
editor-surveyor doesn’t care if you don’t take him seriously. Those who know him know his background. Because Ethel know him, they take him very seriously.
“In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled suspects in custody must “unambiguously” invoke their right to remain silent by telling police they wish to do so.”
http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/turning_imiranda_i_upside_down/
Tend to agree with you. This is also a battle for public opinion. Our side does not have a good track record in that arena
Wait and see...the Obama Regime will try to kick this into the judiciary to stall it.
My question is whether she could have been declared in contempt of Congress today and immediately placed into (protective?) custody - which might have been preferable.
Whether Issa completely knew what was going on may be up for debate, but Gowdy obviously did - even using Cummings' own words against him. Well played.
On the live thread I didn’t post anything about this because I wanted to see if Gowdy was going to bring it up. When he didn’t, I figured it was all part of a plan.
“Issa was caught off guard by her making an opening statement; and exactly why would the committee consult with the DoJ?”
If you think hard enough about this you might come up with a reason why Issa would consult with the DOJ
What if she wanted to testify but was under control of her attorney and her attorney was acting for Obama?
I really like that guy!
Also, the intelligence of Frrepers these days aren’t nearly as great as the crowd from 8+ years ago.
Whatever. You’ve already decided nothing will come of this. I’m going to wait and see.
I don’t know whether it was intentional or not. But there is a wild possibility that she did not commit any crimes but knows who did. There is a common desire to not be a “rat” or disloyal. Now she can be compelled to testify. But she can say “they tricked me and I couldn’t protect you.”
It will be hard for her to say she didn’t testify when all the networks broadcasted it for all the world to see.
Maybe now that she is forced to testify she can bargain for immunity and a new identity.
Maybe. Hope so. But history isn’t siding with that possibility.
Sorry pal, Issa isn’t playing little ball.
He has a long ball strategy and Lying Lois’s testimony is only a piece of it.
Your thirst for instant gratification will go unfulfilled by Issa’s committee, and whining about it is nothing more than distracting. Grow up and let the strategy unfold in it’s own time.
But not the depths to which they will sink in manipulating the press and the public to push their inhuman agenda.
There's a reason why Bill Clinton is a multimillionaire "beloved" elder statesman, instead of a pariah living in trailer park.
I’m sure Issa will be advising her to bring her toothbrush if she’s planning on stonewalling.
Trey Gowdy has been up to this before. He has insight which I personally find VERY refreshing. Take no bu**s**t! Seems to be his motto.
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