Posted on 03/18/2015 5:16:18 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia appointed by President Obama and set to step down next month, has not acted on a contempt of Congress charge for former IRS official Lois Lerner.
Machen, who announced at the beginning of the week he'd step down April 1 to return to private practice, has not referred Lerner's case to a grand jury. Her contempt citation for not testifying at two hearings has been in Machen's hands since May 2014.
During Machen's five-year tenure as a top prosecutor, the largest U.S. Attorney's Office was dominated by cases related to financial fraud, national security and public corruption.
His office prosecuted dozens of federal and local D.C. officials, including securing felony guilty pleas from three former D.C. council members.
But unless he acts within the next two weeks, Machen will leave without taking action in the case of Lerner, who directed the IRS division that handled applications for tax-exempt status.
“Under Lois Lerner’s direction, the IRS became a political tool used to systematically target and undermine Americans’ First Amendment rights," said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who accused Machen of using "his own post for political ends" by not referring the case to a grand jury for months "as he is legally bound to do."
"Hopefully his replacement will do what’s right and allow a grand jury to do its work. The American people deserve to know the truth about the IRS targeting scandal, and Lois Lerner’s testimony is key to uncovering that truth," Jordan added in a statement to The Hill.
After Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right at a pair of House Oversight Committee hearings, Machen's office said last year, “We will carefully review the report from the speaker of the House and take whatever action is appropriate.”
The Obama administration has also not publicly released hundreds of documents related to the IRS's targeting of Tea Party groups.
Attorney General Eric Holder remarked on Machen's tenure on Monday, praising his “outstanding results” and “inspiring service.”
“Ron Machen has distinguished himself as a skilled leader, a devoted public servant, and a forceful champion of justice on behalf of the American people,” said Holder, who himself is set to step down pending the Senate's confirmation of Loretta Lynch, who President Obama nominated to replace him.
“Throughout his remarkable tenure, Ron has applied his boundless talent and consummate judgment to protect the safety and security of all Americans in cases involving violent crime, national security threats, and public corruption,” Holder said.
The Department of Justice did not return a request for comment.
The government criminals keep skating....Lerner should get jail for 5 years and lose her pension.
Oh, wait. You have to actually have some minerals to do that...
Shucks.
Disappointing..../S
Ronald Machen
Of course not.
The DO”J” is protecting EXEMPT CUmmings
and Hamas and the transfer of
US taxpayer money to murder, to rape, and to enslave.
Wait...there’s something of a theme here...
The President...
The Attorney General...
The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security....
And the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia...
What is it...can’t put my finger on it...something about the Top Law Enforcement Officers of the United States
Consequences are not for loiberals, only for patriots.
A picture’s worth a thousand words.
If Eric Holder had a brother...
He should be disbarred.
“By some miracle, should a Cruz or Walker become prez, the new Attorney General Mark Levin will have no problem hunting down criminal rats.”
Sorry but you will be disappointed. There is an understanding between the two parties. When a change of power occurs from one party to another, the slate is wiped clean. Bush didn’t prosecute any Clinton people when he took over just as Obama didn’t prosecute Bush people. Look at the long history of peaceful government transitions, in this nation, since the first in 1800 and you’ll see the same.
The slate is always wiped clean when parties change power. Lois Lerner is waiting out the clock. Boehner, McConnell and the other Republicans are not demanding her head. The Justice Department is sitting on the case. The mainstream media isn’t pushing it. If a Republican takes office in 2017, he or she will not be using political capital to fight Lois Lerner. Certainly any new Democrat administration is not going to take up the cause.
When Lois wakes up on Inauguration Day 2017, she will be a free woman with no fear of prosecution. She’ll be enjoying her government pension and will be free to take on a lucrative consulting job with a liberal public interest group.
The big question is why the Republicans aren’t pushing hard for her prosecution today when they have an legitimate corruption issue that would resonate with the American people? If the tables were turned wouldn’t Reid and Pelosi be screaming everyday? Lois likely knows many secrets about senior members of the GOP. If true, no one now or in the future will rock her boat.
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