Sick of deception! Democrat threatens IRS with appointment of special prosecutor

Both sides are enraged over the IRS scandal and the apparent stonewalling of Lois Lerner, the woman at the helm of the IRS department responsible for overseeing non-profit applications. Now, both Democrats and Republicans are blasting Lerner, and Douglas Schulman, threatening to have a special prosecutor appointed.

Free Catholic Knowledge Assessment from Catholic Online School

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Congressional hearings designed to get to the bottom of the IRS scandal have been stonewalled by Lois Lerner who refused to testify before Congress today. In response, members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee  lashed out at Lerner, threatening to appoint a special prosecutor.

In May 2012, the IRS completed an internal investigation that revealed the group had committed wrong by targeting conservative groups against IRS policy. However, the conclusions of those reports were withheld from Congress.

Darrell Issa (R-CA) had this to say, "Think about it. For more than a year, the IRS knew that it had inappropriately targeted groups of Americans based on their political beliefs, and without mentioning it, and in fact without honestly answering questions that were the result of this internal investigation."

When Lois Lerner, the former director of Exempt Organizations took her turn before the legislators, she said in an opening statement, "I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations and I have not provided false information to this or any other committee."

Despite her insistence she has done nothing wrong, she still invoked the 5th Amendment, refusing to answer any questions.

Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said to applause that she should be forced to answer questions because she waived her 5th Amendment right by issuing an opening statement.

Issa kept Lerner in the room.

"I will not answer any questions or testify today," Lerner said.

Lerner was eventually dismissed. She now heads the IRS office responsible for ensuring Obamacare compliance.

This display angered everyone including Stephen Lynch (D-MA). Lynch warned Lerner and other witnesses, "If you refuse to answer you will leave us no choice but to ask for a special counsel or the appointment of a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this. I hope that's not the approach of the IRS going forward because there will be hell to pay."

Lynch then went on to blast Douglas Shulman, the former IRS commissioner who was responsible for the agency when the targeting started.

"At no time, to the best of my memory, was I ever given the impression that these [IRS employees] were only [looking closely] at conservative groups" Shulman told Lynch. "You misled Congress. Make no question about it," Lynch argued.

He concluded saying, "You did nothing. You abdicated your responsibility."

Jim Jordan, (R-OH) had this to say, "This administration, this agency, the very agency charged with enforcing Obamacare, systematically targeted groups that came into existence because they opposed Obamacare - and they started the targeting the very month, March 2010, that Obamacare came into law - expects us to believe it is the work of two rogue agents in Cincinnati."

Jordan reminded the room of the lies propagated by the Obama administration over the Benghazi scandal.

The American people are tired of an administration that seeks to weasel around the law, and Congress, to impose its will on the people, practicing deceit along the way. Congress has grown weary, as have the American people.

The American people deserve the truth from their public servants.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'