Seeking The Arrest Of Lois Lerner
[post by Dana]
Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman is done waiting for the Justice Dept. to answer calls to prosecute Lois Lerner over the IRS scandal targeting conservative non-profit groups. As such, he has filed a resolution for her arrest:
“Asking the Justice Department to prosecute Lois Lerner for admittedly illegal activity is a joke,” Stockman said. “The Obama administration will not prosecute the Obama administration. How much longer will the House allow itself to be mocked? It is up to this House to uphold the rule of law and hold accountable those who illegally targeted American citizens for simply having different ideas than the President.”
Although infrequently used, Congress does have the power to arrest individuals held in contempt.
Further:
Stockman’s resolution accuses Lerner of “refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, thereby obstructing the Congress in the lawful exercise of its constitutionally mandated legislative powers,” calling her behavior “an insult to the dignity of the House of Representatives [and] an attack upon the integrity of its proceedings, [which] works violence upon the rights of the House collectively, and therefore implicates the long-recognized inherent power of the House to punish and commit for contempt, privileged under the Constitution.”
–Dana
“Although infrequently used, Congress does have the power to arrest individuals held in contempt.”
Dana – Even in the case of phony scandals without a smidgen of corruption?
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/11/2014 @ 8:43 amFunny, the scandals without a smidgen of corruption somehow seem to be the worst sort of scandals…
Dana (4dbf62) — 7/11/2014 @ 8:46 amWell Lois Lerner is the personification of the arrogant snarky twit sort of administrator that Obama seems to attract—they flock to him like blowflies on a mushy pile of carrion.
Skeptical Voter (12e67d) — 7/11/2014 @ 8:59 amOne problem is that Steve Stockman doesn’t have too much credibility among his colleagues in Congress, so he’s primarily grandstanding.
The other problem is that Lois Lerner probably does have things to hide, so even if arrested, she won’t talk. She really would be needed to be given immunity. (Lois Lerner is only really important if other people conspired with her or incited her to do things, so nothing is really lost by the immunity deal. Maybe you could prove – from testimony by technical people in the IRS, that she deliberately destroyed her hard disk…but is that really what’s important?)
And before that, it would have to be arranged so that if she admitted criminal acticity, she wouldn’t lose the ability to pay for her lawyer. This has tro be very carefully scrutinized and found out, in spite of probable obstructions by her lawyer(s) who will probably try to claim confidentaility. But the payment arrangements for her lawyer are extremely important.
If her lawyer would either stop working for her or not get paid if she confessed to any kind of wrongdoing, or wrongdoing beyond a certain point, as could be the case if he’s being paid by some insurance policy that cuts her off if she’s guilty of something, or her union is backing her but later might not, or there’s even a legal defense fund, or some “angel” – all of this is useless until it is changed.
Meanwhile some judge has ordered the IRS to make sworn statements expaining why the e-mails are lost.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/10/federal-judge-orders-irs-to-explain-lost-lerner-emails-under-oath/
They shouldn’t focus so much on her computer. She probably destroyed things, or wanted to make sure nothing could be extracted from temporary files, but that’s when her e-mails were lost.
Sammy Finkelman (cd2969) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:09 amThat’s NOT when her e-mails were lost.
The IRS’s Description of IRS Email Collection and Production is probably truthful in outline, although carefully worded, incomplete and mendacious.
And by the way there’s no real excuse for waiting to find out what e-mails could be found – not from her hard disk – bfore informing Congress about anything.
Sammy Finkelman (cd2969) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:13 amWill the majority of the House get the backbone transplant necessary for them to pass this?
Loren (1e34f2) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:21 amI would also suggest that the IRS Commissioner be held in contempt, both personally and as leader of his institution. Jailing the IRS boss for contempt would have its supporters.
Kevin M (b357ee) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:29 amStockman is a blowhard. It’s obvious from the language of the “resolution” alone. Which is never going to get voted on with that language in it.
nk (dbc370) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:29 amYou gotta do what you gotta do when faced with the most lawless administration and DOJ (fer Chrissakes) America has ever been saddled with.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:30 am“Jailing the IRS boss for contempt would have its supporters.”
Kevin M – Agreed, especially since he has been on the job such a short time. It serves as a nice warning. Plus the entertainment value of jailing someone who looks like he was separated at birth from Gollum would generate bonus points, so you would have that going for you.
daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:44 amLois Lerner is a true believer. Even if given immunity, she wouldn’t talk.
luagha (5cbe06) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:47 amHow much longer will the House allow itself to be mocked?
it does indeed sound like this man is an idiot
happyfeet (8ce051) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:54 am“works violence upon the rights of the House collectively,”
Really, violence? Gimme a break. As much as I’d like to see her arrested if that’s the only way to hold her accountable, such BS rhetoric is counterproductive. The greatest threat to any cause…
WTP (5ea774) — 7/11/2014 @ 9:58 amThrow her in jail. Nancy Pelosi said they were holding a cell at the capital for Karl Rove. Sammy hasn’t Finkbombed this thread yet. Interesting!
Hadoop (3451fc) — 7/11/2014 @ 10:23 amSteve Stockman’s rhetoric is counterproductive? Get lost moby.
Steve Stockman can say whatever he wants to, because in the November general election, Stockman he was voted to congress with 71% of the vote.
And the bitch of the IRS needed jailing every day of her miserable life.
papertiger (c2d6da) — 7/11/2014 @ 11:13 amDon’t be shy, papertiger, let ‘er rip!
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/11/2014 @ 11:27 amrepublicans in congress should be arrested for treason sedition and sabotage first!
vota (4a188b) — 7/11/2014 @ 11:39 amthat would be the cherry on top of the banana republic sundae Mr. vota
happyfeet (8ce051) — 7/11/2014 @ 11:43 amCheck the “Friday” bin on your med tray, votaperry, you’ve forgotten to take your Thorazine, for starters.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 7/11/2014 @ 12:08 pmVotaPerry,
They’re going to ban you from participating in the Saturday arts & crafts activities at the Delaware Home for the Aged, unless you being taking your meds on a consistent and cooperative basis.
Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 7/11/2014 @ 3:40 pmRed Meat Alert
Leviticus (be4733) — 7/11/2014 @ 6:12 pmoh.
then let’s go ahead with the horseradish sauce alert
happyfeet (8ce051) — 7/11/2014 @ 6:13 pmThe message here is going to be destroyed by the flawed messenger.
creeper (156827) — 7/12/2014 @ 5:54 amAt least Stockman has the balls to submit a resolution for Lerner’s arrest, which is an issue others in the GOP House have been toso cowardly to do. Bravo for Stockman, flawed messenger or not, he’s right on the facts and first to step up and do the job he was elected to do.
ropelight (4da1b1) — 7/12/2014 @ 6:32 amYou got that right, ropelight. The ball-less Republicans seem unwilling to lift a finger against these tyrants. We need to rid the Republic of these traitorous, seditious sociopaths that call themselves “progressives”. They’re about as progressive as their hero, Stalin. Unfortunately, they seem to have completely taken over the Democrat Party.
Hoagie (4dfb34) — 7/12/2014 @ 8:04 amWhile we’re at it, how about civil service workers being liable to be charged with an actual felony crime if their emails go missing while in the middle of a congressional investigation?
Whenever I read the history of political scandals, if the subject in question is of the Republican persuasion the crime he or she is accused of has to do with a violation of the campaign finance laws. Most of which, if not all, being unconstitutional incursions upon the freedom of speech, complete with fine print designed loopholes allowing Democrats to circumvent the monetary indescretions they themselves created.
Why isn’t Obama answering for his no card check foreign national financing? Why isn’t Hillary answering for her Chinese bundlers?
papertiger (c2d6da) — 7/12/2014 @ 9:33 pm