Bryan Preston
PJ Tatler
PJ Media
4/9/2014
Emails released today by the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee show that Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) has some explaining to do. The emails show that Cummings and the IRS were asking for nearly identical information from election integrity watchdog True the Vote. Further, the emails show communication as Lerner was feeding information to Cummings and his staff.
The communication occurred in 2012, before the public was ever aware of the ongoing and widespread IRS abuse of Tea Party and conservative groups. In a press release detailing the newly delivered emails, committee Chairman Darrell Issa asks Cummings to answer for himself.
“Although you have previously denied that your staff made inquiries to the IRS about conservative organization True the Vote that may have led to additional agency scrutiny, communication records between your staff and IRS officials – which you did not disclose to Majority Members or staff – indicates otherwise,” wrote the Chairman and five Subcommittee Chairmen of the Oversight Committee. “As the Committee is scheduled to consider a resolution holding Ms. Lerner, a participant in responding to your communications that you failed to disclose, in contempt of Congress, you have an obligation to fully explain your staff’s undisclosed contacts with the IRS.”
Cummings has stonewalled the investigation throughout, while President Obama has claimed that there wasn’t even a “smidgen of corruption” in it…
…True the Vote president Catherine Engelbrecht reacts in a press statement:
“Elijah Cummings has blocked the IRS abuse investigation all along. We now see clearly that two branches of government have colluded to target and silence private citizens.
“America has come to a tipping point,” Engelbrecht said. “No more lies. No more cover-ups. No more collusion. Enough is enough. Finally, we have a chance for the rule of law to be re-established, thanks to the bold efforts of Chairman Issa and Rep. Jordan.”
Engelbrecht added, “We filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Cummings in February. Today we’re amending that filing to include this latest revelation. As I have said in my testimony before Congress; I will not retreat, I will not surrender, I will not be intimidated. I will not ask Rep. Cummings, Lois Lerner, Barack Obama, or anyone else, for permission to exercise my constitutional rights.”
Read the entire article at PJ Media.
H/T Clarice Feldman who wrote of Catherine Engelbrecht, “And a woman shows she has more balls than the entire Republican House…”
Related: Boehner on IRS Targeting Scandal: ‘I Don’t Care Who’s Going to Be Fired, I Want To Know Who’s Going to Jail’ (video)
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) joined host Megyn Kelly on the Kelly File to discuss whether the House will seek criminal charges against one particular former IRS official allegedly involved in targeting conservative groups.
Boehner said the House will likely hold Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress…
Katie Pavlich has more at Townhall.
Update: Iowahawk puts referral of Lois Lerner case to DOJ into dizzying nutshell
Congress votes Lerner in contempt of Congress, refers prosecution to Attorney General who Congress voted in contempt of Congress
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) April 9, 2014
Read the whole thing.
