When Lois Lerner once again decided not to say anything, she was actually saying quite a bit. Pleading the Fifth Amendment protected her (and no doubt others) from incrimination. She decided not to say anything as Representative Darrell Issa read some of her emails that indicated her willingness to put certain groups through a more rigorous and lengthy application process.
Her strategy may work out for her. While it is true that the House of Representatives could hold her in contempt, she also knows that Attorney General Eric Holder probably would not prosecute her. His department has already ruled on the issue. President Obama has already said that there wasn’t a “smidgen of corruption” in the IRS.
What is often missing from this discussion is the fact that before Lois Lerner was the director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS, she was the head of the Enforcement Office of the Federal Election Commission. Back then her office initiated a burdensome investigation of the Christian Coalition. Ralph Reed was on my radio program recently and talked about all the FEC required of them. This included huge document requests as well as intrusive questions that even inquired about the nature of intercessory prayers.
What is also missing from these discussions is the fact that individuals as well as organizations appear to be targeted by the IRS. While much of the focus has been on 501(c)4 groups like the Tea Party, we shouldn’t forget what happens to people who criticize the president. Dr. Ben Carson spoke last year at the National Prayer Breakfast, and then was audited by the IRS. Dinesh D’Souza did the movie 2016 about the president. IRS is auditing Jerry Mullen (his partner), and the Federal Election Commission has indicted D’Souza. Wayne Allyn Root is convinced the IRS targeted him because of his columns and commentary. In a previous commentary, I talked about all the investigations brought against Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote. Over a two-year period, she faced questions and investigations from the FBI, ATF, OSHA, and the IRS.
Connect the dots and you will see a pattern to these IRS investigations.