House Oversight Committee to consider holding Lois Lerner in contempt

This is sure to cause some more fireworks between Reps. Issa (R-CA) and Cummings (D-MD):

A committee aide tells National Review Online the panel will “make an announcement on the contempt process for Lois Lerner sometime today,” and a GOP congressman confirms that committee chairman Darrell Issa: has indicated: the vote will take place “next week.”

Lerner has twice declined to answer questions from lawmakers about her role in the targeting of right-leaning groups. At a June hearing, the panel determined: in a party-line vote: that she had waived her Fifth Amendment rights by making an opening statement declaring her innocence: when she appeared at hearing: in May. “I have not done anything wrong,” Lerner said at the time. “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 congressional committee.”

When she again invoked the Fifth Amendment at a hearing last month, she opened the door to charges that she was obstructing the work of Congress.

And it looks like Speaker Boehner will bring the charge to the House floor.

I have a question, though — is this an effective use of government resources? All sorts of attention has focused on Lerner, but she’s retired. Yes, she committed corrupt and probably criminal acts. But shouldn’t House Republicans take up tax reform, or go after the officials and bureaucrats who are still in government — public employees who can still cause great harm to the American people on our tax dollars?

Perhaps I’m missing something, and if so, please let me know in the comments. But I think Issa is missing the forest for the trees, or he’s just using Lerner as a convenient punching bag to get cheers from conservative supporters.

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