House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says he expects the House to hold former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress on Thursday and hopes Attorney General Eric Holder follows up on it.
On April 28,
Lerner's attorney sent a letter to congressional leaders arguing that holding her in contempt would be "un-American."
She appeared in 2013 before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and made a statement that she was innocent before asserting her Fifth Amendment right not to testify. Republicans say Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment right when she made the statement of innocence.
Lerner was in charge of the Internal Revenue Service department that grants tax exemptions. Several conservative groups said they were put into limbo when filing for 501(c)4 status simply because of their political leanings.
"The IRS has clearly been targeting conservative groups for being conservative, and have delayed, and in some cases denied, their ability to obtain tax status to go about advocating for their position," Cantor said Tuesday on Fox News Channel's
"On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."
"She's been asked to come forward as a public servant to speak to the American people. We believe she's now denied the right to plead the Fifth," Cantor added.
Holder himself has been held in contempt of Congress over documents withheld in the Fast and Furious investigation. Holder's Justice Department has appealed the contempt holding.
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