On Wednesday, Obama IRS retired official Lois Lerner, at the center of the scandal involving the IRS targeting, harassing, and intimidating the Tea Party and those seen as Obama's political enemies, appeared before the House Oversight Committee. When asked questions by Chairman Issa regarding the events of that scandal, including reading emails that she sent about intentionally attacking these groups, Lerner pleaded the Fifth. In fact, she pleaded the Fifth NINE times in refusing to answer any questions.
Matthew Burke, TPNN News Editor — Ex-Obama IRS official in charge of tax-exempt organizations, Lois Lerner, again refused to answer questions regarding the Obama IRS’s illegal targeting of Tea Party and other conservative groups. For the second time, Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, refusing to answer key questions from Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee.Issa had said on FOX News Sunday that Lerner’s attorney, William Taylor, informed him she would testify, however Lerner’s attorney disputed that claim, even though emails indicate she was at first willing to testify. The House Oversight Committee had previously voted that Lerner had waived her Fifth Amendment rights when she initially gave a brief testimony declaring her innocence, immediately prior to pleading the Fifth Amendment in her prior appearance before the committee last year.
After every question asked by Issa about the Obama IRS targeting the Tea Party, along with other groups considered political opponents of Obama, Lerner repeatedly responded:
“On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my fifth amendment right and decline to answer that question.”
At the beginning of today’s hearing, Issa said the committee may consider whether to hold Lerner in contempt. After Lerner refused to answer questions, Issa said that contempt “has to be considered.”
Lerner apologized for the Obama IRS’s “inappropriate” targeting of Tea Party groups in May of last year, admitting during a speech in which she answered a planted question, that Obama IRS agents singled out dozens of organizations because they had the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their applications for tax-exempt status.
At first, the Obama regime blamed the IRS targeting of the Tea Party on “low-level” Cincinnati employees, however, in June of 2013, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released transcripts of interviews with employees from Cincinnati indicating that their orders had came directly from Washington.”
On Super Bowl Sunday, Obama was interviewed by Bill O’Reilly, saying unequivocally that there was, “not even a smidgen” of corruption at the IRS, even though the so-called investigation was still supposedly underway.
In February of last year, Obama referred to his regime as having ‘the most transparent administration in history.” If there is not a “smidgen” of corruption, and if this is “the most transparent administration in history,” and if Lois Lerner has done nothing wrong, then why is she not revealing what she knows? » Full Article
Please see full text of the questions Rep. Issa asked Lois Lerner:
Rep. Darrell Issa: Ms. Lerner, put up slide 1 please, on October 10th, in October 2010, you told a Duke University group, and I quote,
“The Supreme Court dealt a huge blow, overturning a 100-year-old precedent that basically corporations couldn’t give directly to political campaigns. And everyone is up in arms because they don’t like it. The Federal Election Commission can’t do anything about it.”
– Lois Lerner, IRS EO Director, October 19, 2010
Ms. Lerner, what exactly does ‘wanted to fix the problem caused by Citizen United’? What exactly does that mean? Would you please turn the mic on?
Lois Lerner: My counsel has advised me that I have not waived my constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment and on his advice, I will decline to answer any question on the subject matter of this hearing.
Issa: So, you’re not going to tell us who wanted to fix the problem caused by Citizen United?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ms. Lerner, in February 2011, you emailed your colleagues in the IRS the following:
“Tea Party matter very dangerous. The could be the vehicle to go to court on the issue of whether Citizen’s United overturning the ban on corporate spending applies to tax exempt rules. Counsel and Judy Kindell need to be on this one please….Cincy should probably NOT have these cases – Holly please see exactly what they have, please.
Issa: “What did you mean by Cincy should not have these cases?”
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ms. Lerner, why would you say Tea Party cases were very dangerous?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: In September 2010, you emailed your subordinates about initiating a ‘c4’ project and wrote ‘We need to be cautious so there isn’t a, per se, political project.” Why were you worried about this being perceived as a political project?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Mike Seecho, manager of EO Technical in Washington, testified that you ordered Tea Party cases to undergo a multi-tier review. He testified, and I quote, “She sent me emails saying that when these cases need to go through multi-tier review, and they will eventually have to go to Ms. Kindell and the chief counsel’s office.” Why did you order Tea Party cases to undergo a multi-tier review?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ms. Lerner, in June 2011, you requested that Holly Pause obtain a copy of the tax exempt application filed by Crossroads GPS so that your senior technical advisor, Judy Kindell, can review it and summarize the issues for you. Ms. Lerner, why did you want to personally order that they pull Crossroads GPS, Karl Rove’s organization’s, application.
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ms. Lerner, in June 2012, you were part of an email exchange that appeared to be about writing new regulations on political speech for 501c4 groups and, in parenthesis, your quote ‘off plan’ in 2013. Ms. Lerner, what does ‘off plan’ mean?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ms. Lerner, in February of 2014, President Obama stated that there was not a smidgen of corruption in the IRS targeting. Ms. Lerner, do you believe that there is not a smidgen of corruption in the IRS targeting of conservatives?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ms. Lerner, on Saturday, our committee’s general counsel sent an email to your attorney saying, “I understand that Ms. Lerner is willing to testify and she is requesting a one week delay in talking to chairman wanted to make sure that was right. Your lawyer in response to that question gave a one word email response. “Yes.” Are you still seeking a one week delay in order to testify?
Lerner: On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question.
Issa: Ladies and gentlemen, seeking the truth is the obligation of this committee. I can see no point in going further. I have no expectation Ms. Lerner will cooperate with this committee and therefore we adjourn.
Lois Lerner Again Refuses to Answer Questions
Regarding Obama IRS’s Targeting of the Tea Party
“Lois Lerner testified for the second time before the House Oversight Committee. She continued her stonewalling the quest for answers in the IRS scandal of targeting and harassing Tea Party groups by pleading the Fifth nine times.”
About The Post Author, Matthew Burke
Matthew Burke is a former Financial Advisor/Planner for 24 years. He was a 2010 Constitutional Conservative candidate for U.S. Congress in Washington State.
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AMERICA’S CHRISTIAN HERITAGE: FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS
Thomas Jefferson
Third President of the United States (1801-1809)
2nd Vice President of the United States (1797-1801)
An American Founding Father
Principal Author of the Declaration of Independence
2nd Vice President of the United States (1797-1801)
An American Founding Father
Principal Author of the Declaration of Independence
On ‘Personal Faith’
Biography
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the third President of the United States (1801–1809). At the beginning of the American Revolution, he served in the Continental Congress, representing Virginia and then served as a wartime Governor of Virginia (1779–1781). Just after the war ended, from mid-1784 Jefferson served as a diplomat, stationed in Paris. In May 1785, he became the United States Minister to France. » Full BioThe Constitution of the United States is
the Supreme Law of the United States of America
the Supreme Law of the United States of America
An Unalienable Right From God
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
It Grants Freedom “Of” Religion, Not Freedom “From” Religion
America’s Christian Heritage
“Facts Are Stubborn Things”