Political Quotes

“And I rise in support of the motion to refer this matter back to committee. Sixty years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that the waiver of Fifth Amendment rights is ``not lightly to be inferred.'' That is exactly what happened when the Oversight Committee held a party line vote finding that Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment privilege without holding even one hearing with one legal expert. Experts who have reviewed the record before the committee conclude that Ms. Lerner did not waive her Fifth Amendment rights by declaring her innocence. Now, more than 30 independent legal experts have also come forward to conclude that the chairman, Chairman Issa, botched the contempt procedure when he abruptly ended our committee hearing and cut off my microphone before any Democratic members had a chance to utter a single syllable. In other words, these experts say a judge will likely throw this case out of court. Let me be clear that I am not defending Lois Lerner's mismanagement at the IRS; but as a Member of Congress, I have sworn, like my colleagues, to protect every citizen's rights under the Constitution of the United States of America, and I do not take that obligation lightly. I believe that it is irresponsible to move forward today without ever having held a single hearing to hear from a single legal expert on this constitutional question.…”