Lawyer: Top IRS official will take the 5th

[Zoom-boing]

Are the liberals still insisting that if you haven't got anything to hide, then you've got nothing to worry about?

Naw..that's what you guys were insisting when you put up the Patriot Act.

By the way.

Lerner was a Bush appointee.

Seems that taking the fifth thing, or not testifying under oath..is a theme that the Bush administration rolled out.

Huh ... yet she did this during Obama's presidency. The little grasshopper learned well the Obama lessons of evasive action, 'I know nothing' attitude, and silence is golden. I always say it's best to learn by example!

 

[ecinicola]

the irs works for Obama and they both need to be removed. We need Fair Tax which would eliminate IRS completely and its the only solution. You can not ever trust the IRS again, any more then you could trust our Leader. Both are untrustworthy

 

[Claudette]

Yep. Makes ya wonder how fair and honest and on target the IRS will be with the ACA.

They are a big part of it.

I wouldn't trust these jokers with the sugar bowl.

 

[hjmick]

Ummm....in these witch hunts, I don't blame her for pleading the fifth. Once again...NO ONE was denied tax exempt status...the combination.of the Citizen's United Ruling and the explosion of retardation....I mean....Tea Party groups caused confusion within the beaurocracy and it threw up red flags.

I'm not saying they didn't fuck up....I'm saying it wasn't a conspiracy....and that's what the right is so desperately looking for.....something....ANYTHING.....to pin on Obama.

Willful ignorance suits you not at all, Steel.

You claim no conspiracy, yet the IRS has admitted to the targeting of conservative groups.

You claim no conspiracy, yet it has bee shown that liberal groups received their tax exempt status with no delay during the same time frame.

Perhaps your ignorance is not so willful...

 

[depotoo]

she is now testifying she has done nothing wrong anywhere and is now invoking the 5th.

 

[depotoo]

Live Video - C-SPAN3 | C-SPAN

 

[depotoo]

wow! They just dismissed her & her counsel, but now some others want her to stay.

 

[Katzndogz]

It's been pointed out that she waived her 5th Amendment rights. Probably because she doesn't understand the 5th Amendment.

 

[depotoo]

wow! Now they dismissed her and Issa is talking about trying to find a way to grant immunity of some sort for her testimony after discussing with the Justice Dept. Hope I got all that right.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Ummm....in these witch hunts, I don't blame her for pleading the fifth. Once again...NO ONE was denied tax exempt status...the combination.of the Citizen's United Ruling and the explosion of retardation....I mean....Tea Party groups caused confusion within the beaurocracy and it threw up red flags.

I'm not saying they didn't fuck up....I'm saying it wasn't a conspiracy....and that's what the right is so desperately looking for.....something....ANYTHING.....to pin on Obama.

Willful ignorance suits you not at all, Steel.

You claim no conspiracy, yet the IRS has admitted to the targeting of conservative groups.

You claim no conspiracy, yet it has bee shown that liberal groups received their tax exempt status with no delay during the same time frame.

Perhaps your ignorance is not so willful...

Those two things a conspiracy doesn't make. Again, in this case where the repubs are searching for anything pleading the 5th may be a smart option because you don't know where the repubs are going with this. A la Bill Clinton when the right asked question after question until it ended up being about an affair...you know the important stuff. When he lied about having an affair, which is common amongst people who are married. They had their AHA moment. Assuring everyone its not about the affair but lying about the affair...

Pleading the fifth doesn't mean you are guilty of the topic they are talking about either. It could be to shield from fishing.

Monica Goodling anyone? Pleaded the fifth as well and she was the assistant to Alberto Gonzalez.

 

[boedicca]

This was interesting to watch. She made a statement claiming her innocence, etc...but then took the 5th. One Senator quite sensible commented that the fact that she made a statement in advance of taking the 5th de facto waives the 5th. (Such a statement should be able to be addressed with follow up questions).

The fact that she also refuses to answer questions concerning the testimony she provided at earlier hearings is very suspicious.

Something strange is afoot at the Circle DC.

 

[Wildman]

Since Lerner won’t answer questions, Taylor asked that she be excused from appearing, saying that would “have no purpose other than to embarrass or burden her.” There was no immediate word whether the committee will grant her request.

Fuck her. Let her be both embarrassed and burdened. She's taking the 5th for a reason...

and that reason is GUILTY !!

 

[depotoo]

It's been pointed out that she waived her 5th Amendment rights. Probably because she doesn't understand the 5th Amendment.

yet her husband is an attorney. Seems odd she wouldn't

 

[Katzndogz]

Bill Clinton's lying about an affair wasn't an issue. He could have lied forever. It was lying about an affair to affect the outcome of a civil case. Democrats don't want to face that fact.

Congress is right. You can't claim a 5th amendment right to not testify AFTER you have already testified.

 

[Katzndogz]

It's been pointed out that she waived her 5th Amendment rights. Probably because she doesn't understand the 5th Amendment.

yet her husband is an attorney. Seems odd she wouldn't

He might not be a very good attorney. The 5th Amendment isn't there to protect the innocent. It is to prevent people from being compelled to convict themselves from their own statements. When someone testifies already, they can not later claim the 5th amendment to prevent cross examination. That's why the first rule of suspects is "don't say anything". Every lawyer knows that. Don't give inculpatory statements or exculpatory statements either.

 

[boedicca]

I suspect this is a signal that a criminal investigation is going to break open. Issa made a comment about negotiating limited immunity...

 

[Claudette]

So. She did take the 5th huh??

I had heard last night that it was a possibility.

Guess she's got nothing to hide. I mean really. Everyone testifying always takes the 5th. NOT.

Imagine. The IRS is a big part of that POS ACA. I'm sure the folks running the IRS are trustworthy and all.

Of course one never knows.

 

[Claudette]

I suspect this is a signal that a criminal investigation is going to break open. Issa made a comment about negotiating limited immunity...

Hell. I wonder just what will be revealed.

Jeeze. I thought this was the most transparant administration in history?? What the hell happened?

Oh wait. I forgot. This scandal is fizzling. Never mind. LOL

 

[007]

"I HAVE NOT LIED, I HAVE BROKEN NO LAWS, I AM INNOCENT... and I will now plead the fifth and will not answer any questions"...

... so WHY would someone refuse to answer ANY questions if they're INNOCENT?

Throw the bitch in JAIL and see if it JOGS HER MEMORY and ability to ANSWER QUESTIONS.

WHO is she PROTECTING... herself, or possibly SOMEONE IN THE WHITE HOUSE?

 

[Little-Acorn]

I suspect this is a signal that a criminal investigation is going to break open. Issa made a comment about negotiating limited immunity...

Generally it's a good idea to find out, informally, what she will say BEFORE you do the formal guarantee of immunity.

And if the response you get is, "None of your business, gotta pay to play" or something like that, then you know she's not really interested in either truth or justice, but has been told simply to delay things and stretch them out as long as she possibly can. It often means that, once you grant immunity, here answers will mostly be "Gee, I don't know" or "I don't recall", as Hillary's were during the investigation of the Rose Law Firm.