Rep. Ron DeSantis says the House will file contempt charges against Lois Lerner
Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) told Shannon Bream, host of Fox News’ “Americas News Headquarters,” that the House will be bringing contempt charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner.
“Now we in the House are going to hold Lerner in contempt when we get back from Easter. And the DOJ is required to at least bring that before the grand jury,” said DeSantis.
According to DeSantis, the recently released emails between Lerner and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) suggest the DOJ has a conflict of interest in the IRS scandal case.
The congressman pointed to one of Lerner’s emails in which she suggested that prosecution be used as a way to “shut down” the conservative groups that have filed for non-profit status on their IRS tax forms.
DeSantis told Bream, “They think if you prosecute one, then you’ll end up essentially cowing the rest of them into shutting up…The fact that they were involved with this, I do think that creates a conflict and we should have a special prosecutor. I’ve been calling for a special prosecutor for months because I don’t have confidence in Attorney General Eric Holder.”
DeSantis acknowledged that due to Holder being the one who will have to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS scandal that the chances of a special prosecutor being appointed are unlikely.
“We’ve had attorney generals in the past, like Janet Reno who was a liberal Democrat to appoint a special prosecutor when she thought there was a cause to do so. But it’s going to take public pressure to get this particular attorney general to move forward on that.”
The DOJ has denied the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Oversight and Governance Committee’s requests to hold Lerner in contempt.
Lerner, however, has said that she will provide further information if she is given immunity, but neither committee has granted her request.
On Monday, the Daily Caller reported that Lerner’s attorney, Bill Taylor, has asked House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) not to file contempt charges against Lerner.
According to the Daily Caller, Taylor told Boehner and Cantor that the charges “would be unfair, and indeed, un-American.”
“Now we in the House are going to hold Lerner in contempt when we get back from Easter. And the DOJ is required to at least bring that before the grand jury,” said DeSantis.
According to DeSantis, the recently released emails between Lerner and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) suggest the DOJ has a conflict of interest in the IRS scandal case.
The congressman pointed to one of Lerner’s emails in which she suggested that prosecution be used as a way to “shut down” the conservative groups that have filed for non-profit status on their IRS tax forms.
DeSantis told Bream, “They think if you prosecute one, then you’ll end up essentially cowing the rest of them into shutting up…The fact that they were involved with this, I do think that creates a conflict and we should have a special prosecutor. I’ve been calling for a special prosecutor for months because I don’t have confidence in Attorney General Eric Holder.”
DeSantis acknowledged that due to Holder being the one who will have to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS scandal that the chances of a special prosecutor being appointed are unlikely.
“We’ve had attorney generals in the past, like Janet Reno who was a liberal Democrat to appoint a special prosecutor when she thought there was a cause to do so. But it’s going to take public pressure to get this particular attorney general to move forward on that.”
The DOJ has denied the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Oversight and Governance Committee’s requests to hold Lerner in contempt.
Lerner, however, has said that she will provide further information if she is given immunity, but neither committee has granted her request.
On Monday, the Daily Caller reported that Lerner’s attorney, Bill Taylor, has asked House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) not to file contempt charges against Lerner.
According to the Daily Caller, Taylor told Boehner and Cantor that the charges “would be unfair, and indeed, un-American.”
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