Posted on 04/01/2015 1:26:47 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Justice Department will not seek criminal contempt charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner, the central figure in a scandal that erupted over whether the tax agency improperly targeted conservative political groups.
Ronald Machen, the former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a seven-page letter this week that he would not bring a criminal case to a grand jury over Lerner’s refusal to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in March 2014. The House approved a criminal contempt resolution against Lerner in May 2014, and Machen’s office has been reviewing the issue since then.
Lerner and other IRS officials, however, are still under investigation by the FBI for the tea party targeting matter — which is a separate probe entirely.
Lerner cited her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself during congressional testimony on March 5, 2014, although then-Oversight Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said she had waived that right by giving an opening statement at a hearing 10 months earlier when she asserted her innocence. Issa wanted her charged by the Justice Department with criminal contempt of Congress for failing to answer questions about her role in the scandal.
Machen said the Oversight Committee “followed proper procedures” in telling Lerner that it had “rejected her claim of privilege and gave her an adequate opportunity to answer the committee’s questions.”
However, Machen said DOJ lawyers determined that Lerner “did not waive her Fifth Amendment right by making an opening statement on May 22, 2013, because she made only a general claims of innocence.”
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
The Department of Injustice
The Obama/Holder INJUSTICE Department at work. Another Obama criminal that President Ted Cruz will have to bring to justice.
Heck of job Johnny, schlepping your duty off on another branch got you nothing. Who could have seen that coming?
Shocked I tell ya! :-)
It’s almost Easter - the DOJ wants this ‘news’ out when people are with family or just not paying attention. The DOJ might be loopy, vile, and unfair - but they’re not stupid
So they started reviewing it last May?
Yes, that goes without saying...
Civil charges will work.
So obvious it hurts: if there is no way the representatives of the people can indict an agent of the Executive branch, tyranny is here, and it will only get worse.
If they were going to prosecute, they would have started after Congress held her in contempt.
I think they are releasing this now, so that Congress can not say that the new attorney general is being unreponsive.
Doesn’t CONGRE$$ have the authority to try her themselves?
Shame if they don’t.
Meanwhile this government is cracking down on bakers and photographers who won’t do Gay weddings.
Exactly.
District of Corruption shocker
What about charges on her abuse of power or depravation of rights under color of law?
She broke the law - that is why she would not testify!
What about charges on her abuse of power or depravation of rights under color of law?
She broke the law - that is why she would not testify!
What about charges on her abuse of power or depravation of rights under color of law?
She broke the law - that is why she would not testify!
Other charges are pending.
This was just the issue of her taking the Fifth being in contempt and a prosecutable offense.
And this is one DOJ lawyer’s opinion.
Trey Gowdy is a lawyer also—and a former prosecutor.
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