Darrell Issa pleads the 5th
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 2:38 pm
More tea party nutjobbery.... :lol:
Things got ugly between Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) Wednesday at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the IRS scandal.
Former IRS official Lois Lerner was present to testify at the hearing, but she pleaded the Fifth and didn’t respond to questions about her leadership over the IRS division that improperly targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Issa fired off questions but after 11 minutes of no response from Lerner, grew frustrated. “I can see no point in going further. I have no expectation that Ms. Lerner will cooperate with this committee,” he declared.
As chairman of the committee, he adjourned the meeting but just as he was slamming down the gavel, Cummings spoke up to say he had a question. Issa gathered his belongings and prepared to leave the room, but Cummings insisted he be allowed to speak. “Mr. Chairman, you cannot run a committee like this. You just cannot do this,” Cummings advised.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) tried to quiet down Rep. Elijah Cumming's (D-MD) after Issa adjourned the meeting.
“We’re better than that as a country. We’re better than that as a committee,” he continued, as Issa rose to his feet to leave. At that point it appeared that Issa was muting both their microphones, so their comments were inaudible.
Raising his voice, Cummings exclaimed, “I want to ask a question. What are we hiding? What’s the big deal?”
“You’re all free to leave, the meeting is adjourned, but the gentleman may ask his question,” Issa responded.
Cummings began with his comments, but Issa cut in, urging him to get to the point. “Let me say what I have to say. I’ve listened to you for the last 15 or 20 minutes or so,” the Democrat stated.
Cummings complained about Issa's handling of the meeting, telling him 'you cannot run a committee like this!'
With that, Issa instructed the participants at the hearing to “close it down.”
An outraged Cummings began yelling, “I am the member of Congress of the United States of America ... I am tired of this," calling the Republican-led investigation into the IRS scandal "one-sided" and "absolutely un-American.” Issa left the room but Cummings remained and spoke for about 10 minutes, as Lerner sat listening.
A handful of his colleagues remained at the meeting to hear him out. After exiting the hearing, Issa spoke to reporters, "Mr. Cummings said he had questions to ask, instead he began making an opening statement even after the committee had been adjourned." Cummings claimed Democrats were "shut out completely" from participating in the hearing, when he spoke to the press after the incident.
Things got ugly between Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) Wednesday at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the IRS scandal.
Former IRS official Lois Lerner was present to testify at the hearing, but she pleaded the Fifth and didn’t respond to questions about her leadership over the IRS division that improperly targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 elections. Issa fired off questions but after 11 minutes of no response from Lerner, grew frustrated. “I can see no point in going further. I have no expectation that Ms. Lerner will cooperate with this committee,” he declared.
As chairman of the committee, he adjourned the meeting but just as he was slamming down the gavel, Cummings spoke up to say he had a question. Issa gathered his belongings and prepared to leave the room, but Cummings insisted he be allowed to speak. “Mr. Chairman, you cannot run a committee like this. You just cannot do this,” Cummings advised.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) tried to quiet down Rep. Elijah Cumming's (D-MD) after Issa adjourned the meeting.
“We’re better than that as a country. We’re better than that as a committee,” he continued, as Issa rose to his feet to leave. At that point it appeared that Issa was muting both their microphones, so their comments were inaudible.
Raising his voice, Cummings exclaimed, “I want to ask a question. What are we hiding? What’s the big deal?”
“You’re all free to leave, the meeting is adjourned, but the gentleman may ask his question,” Issa responded.
Cummings began with his comments, but Issa cut in, urging him to get to the point. “Let me say what I have to say. I’ve listened to you for the last 15 or 20 minutes or so,” the Democrat stated.
Cummings complained about Issa's handling of the meeting, telling him 'you cannot run a committee like this!'
With that, Issa instructed the participants at the hearing to “close it down.”
An outraged Cummings began yelling, “I am the member of Congress of the United States of America ... I am tired of this," calling the Republican-led investigation into the IRS scandal "one-sided" and "absolutely un-American.” Issa left the room but Cummings remained and spoke for about 10 minutes, as Lerner sat listening.
A handful of his colleagues remained at the meeting to hear him out. After exiting the hearing, Issa spoke to reporters, "Mr. Cummings said he had questions to ask, instead he began making an opening statement even after the committee had been adjourned." Cummings claimed Democrats were "shut out completely" from participating in the hearing, when he spoke to the press after the incident.