Darrell Issa to recall Lois Lerner: Will the code of Omerta hold?

American Thinker ^ | 02/26/2014 | Rick Moran

[SeekAndFind]

House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa is recalling former IRS official Lois Lerner to testify about IRS targeting of conservative groups.

When last we left our intrepid Tea Party targeter in May of 2013, she was taking the fifth before Iss'a committee - after declaring her absolute innocence in an opening statement. The Oversight Committee has ruled that because she made the statement, she waived any right she had to protection from self-incrimination.

The Hill:

n his letter to William Taylor, Lerner's attorney, Issa said that her testimony "remains critical to this committee's investigation."

"Because the committee explicitly rejected her Fifth Amendment privilege claim, I expect her to provide answers when the hearing reconvenes on March 5," Issa wrote.

Taylor told The Hill he would probably respond to Issa on Wednesday. 

Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.), the top Democrat at House Oversight, said that "only one thing has changed in the nine months since Lois Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right in response to Republican accusations of criminal activity - it's an election year."

"Republicans are wrong on the law, and calling her back will serve no purpose other than causing a media spectacle and feeding a false political narrative."

Cummings and other House Democrats had asked to hold a hearing with constitutional scholars before voting on whether Lerner waived her rights. Democrats have cited experts who said she did not.

Lerner’s attorney has previously denied that she waived her Fifth Amendment rights, and House Democrats have suggested that Republicans rushed into the vote ruling that she had. 

At that vote, held last June, both Democrats and Republicans suggested potentially giving Lerner some form of immunity to answer questions.

[wildbill]

Republicans have resisted public opinion that is in favor of a special prosecutor.

I believe they want personal publicity vs. a procedure that might actually come up with the truth and some action in court.

Even if they turn up something that is illegal, Holder will not prosecute.

[Signalman]

Lerner may want to think about hiring armed private security.

[kevkrom]

BTW, on a tangent, but related to Lerner, I’m all in favor of a limited exception to the 5th Amendment which would exclude the privileges against self-incrimination for government employees, officials, and elected officials with respect to actions made as part of their official duties.

[oh8eleven]

Where does CONgress get the right to put retired people on the stand to testify about their former job?
So in your world, retiring is like a statute of limitations, or immunity from being charged with crimes? Oy.

[Count of Monte Fisto]

Unless the House Sergeant of Arms arrests this woman these hearings are a complete waste of time.

[sport]

That should have happened when she made her speech and walked out the first time. As long as Issa and the Establishment Republicans are in charge, don’t expect too much. If , and it is a big if, he recalls her it will just be for show.

[kidd]

Dear Mr. Issa -

Please let Trey Gowdy run this show.

He has significant legal experience. You don’t.
He was the one who spoke up about the 5th Ammendment. You missed it and were about to release Lerner.
He has the motivation to get answers. You are seeking votes.

You will have in front of your committee, Lois Lerner, who was once the head of the agency that clearly abused its powers to silence the opposition. The result should include prison, fines and names - not more hearings.

Let Gowdy take charge.

[PGalt]

How many of the GESTAPO SCUMBAGS AND THEIR ENABLERS are in prison?

FUCONgre$$

$ocialism Is Legal Plunder (Bastiat). The IR$ is the gestapo of the U.$.A. - United $ocialists of America.

I$$A #2 of “The 50 Richest Members of Congress (2011)…here…

http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html

#2 of 2012 according to Wikipedia…here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_wealth

DISMANTLE $ocialist collectives. HOLD unaccountable bureaucrats (socialists) accountable.

[lodi90]

Quite a number of pathological malcontents have shown up on FR to dump on Issa, Gowdy, and Chaifetz, alleging that they are doing nothing in their investigations.

---

You haven’t been paying attention. The pattern is 1)kenyan has a scandal 2)GOP feigns outrage but then turns down heat 3)no focus from GOP or MSM, scandal goes away.

The Dem narrative is set on the IRS. There is no competing message from a GOP. The kenyan lied his skinny behind off at the Super Bowl interview. There was no engaged response from the GOP. This is what political surrender looks like. Enjoy.

[Agamemnon]

Issa was going to do this the last three election cycles. Still waiting.........

IRS story broke a year ago. What three election cycles are you imagining?

Issa hasn't been a Committee chairman for 3 election cyles.

He's held Holder in contempt over F&F, but without a (R) Senate there's not a lot he can do to move toward impeachment of him if he wanted to do so, is there? Still, he's got him on record and dancing from time to time in his Committee and injecting sand in DOJ's gears as he does.

1974 Watergate investigations were held in advance of a mid-term election. Let's see if the Summer of 2014 hearings distract the Administration enough to draw attention away from mid-term election efforts as it did for (R)'s back then (assuming you remember them).

Just because Lerner retired doesn't mean that it's a "get out of jail free" card for her to play.

FReegards!

[NEMDF]

So you are suggesting that retirement should make a person immune for having committed crimes in the past?

[hal ogen]

The criminal bum lerner should have been “retired” to prison. These psychopathic freaks are too much. Pursue them until they die.

[PGalt]

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

[PGalt]

The criminal bum lerner should have been “retired” to prison. These psychopathic freaks are too much. Pursue them until they die.

BUMP!

[Agamemnon]

This is what political surrender looks like. Enjoy.

Hello, loser.

Yes, you are one of those malcontents I was talking about.

Got your picture right here.

Just another "know-it-all" Eeyore

Thanks for one more of your routinely uninspiring commentaries on such topics.

FReegards!

[shelterguy]

“””Issa was going to do this the last three election cycles. Still waiting.........

IRS story broke a year ago. What three election cycles are you imagining?

Issa hasn’t been a Committee chairman for 3 election cyles.”””

He has been huffing and puffing for a long time on a number of investigations. They will go nowhere. He just needs to do something once in awhile to fool some people into sending him some campaign donations. Also it keeps the eye off his pal boehner who is busy kissing husseins asssss.

[Artcore]

Issa was probably ordered by Boner to look like he’s doing something. We all know this is going to go absolutely nowhere.

[drypowder]

She'll take the fifth, walk out and that will be the end of it. Just more of Issa’s political theatrics, no more, no less.

[Diogenesis]

GOP = GIVE OBAMA POWER

courtesy of EXEMPT Issa,
EXEMPT Boehner,
EXEMPT McConnell,
and the rest of the GOP/RINO
traitors to the US Constitution.

[TBP]

She’ll take the Fifth again.