If You Were Taken Aback by Obama

M

Max E.

If You Were Taken Aback by Obama’s ‘Smidgeon of Corruption’ Claim, Wait Until You Hear Trey Gowdy

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) on Thursday blasted President Barack Obama’s recent claim that there was “not even a smidgen of corruption” involved in the Internal Revenue Service’s alleged targeting of conservative groups.

“The president says there’s not a ‘smidgeon’ of criminality or corruption,” Gowdy said during a House Ways and Means hearing on the IRS scandal.

“Do either of you,” he said, addressing two Tea Party leaders who appeared to testify on their experiences with the IRS, “remember seeing a witness named Lois Lerner, sitting at the very table y’all are sitting at?”

Lerner, formerly in charge of the IRS’ tax-exempt organization division, ignited the scandal in May after she apologized for the agency’s handling of conservative groups. She later invoked the Fifth Amendment and resigned her post in September.

“Do you remember her invoking her Fifth Amendment privilege? The same privilege that she targeted some of your groups for trying to educate people about?” Gowdy asked. “Some of your groups just want to simply educate people about the Constitution — the one she availed herself of the very second she was exposed to criminal investigation.”

“So how can the president say there’s not a ‘smidgeon’ of criminality when Lois Lerner invoked the Fifth Amendment? Forty-one witnesses haven’t been interviewed, including the two who are here right now!” he added. “How can he possibly draw that conclusion?”

Watch the South Carolina representative’s heated take on Obama’s assessment:

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I think trey gowdy should take boehner's job as leader. something might get done that benefits taxpayers.
 
So according to Rep. Trey Gowdy if invoking the Fifth Amendment you're guilty. Does this apply to refusing an unwarranted police search also. Refusing to be interrogated by police without counsel also indicates guilt too then doesn't it. Does his logic also apply to NSA spying, only the guilty should be worried.
 
bigarrow said:
So according to Rep. Trey Gowdy if invoking the Fifth Amendment you're guilty. Does this apply to refusing an unwarranted police search also. Refusing to be interrogated by police without counsel also indicates guilt too then doesn't it. Does his logic also apply to NSA spying, only the guilty should be worried.
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I don't think that's what he's saying at all. I think that he's pointing to the fact that there is a criminal investigation, and the person at the head of the organization decides to not answer any questions on the investigation, and then quits. While that doesn't mean she or the IRS is guilty, it does beg the question why she can't/won't answer anything, and why she quit instead.
 
Tsing Tao said:
I don't think that's what he's saying at all. I think that he's pointing to the fact that there is a criminal investigation, and the person at the head of the organization decides to not answer any questions on the investigation, and then quits. While that doesn't mean she or the IRS is guilty, it does beg the question why she can't/won't answer anything, and why she quit instead.
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I agree that there is the look of corruption in the IRS scandal. And I also think he was implying Lerner was guilty because she invoked the fifth.

If you were suspected of a crime would you help the prosecution build a case against you even if you were innocent. Me neither.
 
bigarrow said:
If you were suspected of a crime would you help the prosecution build a case against you even if you were innocent. Me neither.
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But I wouldn't resign, either.

If you or I did that in court, we'd not get the chance to walk away. With government officials, they can.
 
to me taking the 5th is evidence of guilt of corruption. Now you may not be able to use it as evidence of guilt in court... but that is evidence of corruption. If the admin is not corrupt then the burden is on them to prove it.
 
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