On the recordMay 7, 2014
I am here today because I do believe Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment right to testify, and by so doing and not answering our questions, she was in contempt of Congress. The other side makes a big deal about this being political and preserving constitutional rights, but the way the system is supposed to work: we will find Ms. Lerner in contempt; the Justice Department will then go to court; there will be a full hearing in the court. And this may very well make it to the United States Supreme Court. Her rights will be protected, but we have also got to protect the rights of the people. We are the people's House. It is our job to get to the bottom of the scandals that are troubling the American people so that we can regain the trust of the American people. You know, it is healthy to be skeptical of your government, but when you don't believe a word that comes out of the mouth of the administration, there is a real problem. We have got to reclaim our power here. We are struggling. I don't think the Justice Department is going to pursue this. I think the same thing will happen to Ms. Lerner that happened with Mr. Holder--the Justice Department is going to decline to move forward with it--but we have got to do our job. I also want to point out that we have got to deal with these people who are in contempt of Congress. For that reason, I have H.R. 4447 that is pending before this House that would withhold the pay of anyone in contempt of Congress.…
