World News Korner

Sunday on Fox News Darrell Issa claimed that former head of the IRS tax exempt division will testify on Wednesday. Her lawyer says no she won't. Issa responds with yes she will. I love a good Mexican standoff.

ICYMI: Lois Lerner's attorney indicates she'll testify at Wed's @GOPoversight #IRS hearing. pic.twitter.com/zywdGAqRma

— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) March 2, 2014

Courtesy of Politico:

Rep. Darrell Issa doesn’t know what he’s talking about, the attorney for former IRS official Lois Lerner said Sunday.

Issa, the California Republican who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee, told “Fox News Sunday” that Lerner, the former head of the IRS tax-exempt division, would testify before his committee Wednesday, which he said he had been told by her attorney.

That attorney, William W. Taylor, said Issa is wrong.

“As of now, she intends to continue to assert her Fifth Amendment rights,” Taylor told POLITICO. “I do not know why Issa said what he said.”

Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment rights not to implicate herself when she appeared before the committee in May 2013, but only after delivering a brief statement defending herself. At the time, Issa and other Republicans said she had waived her Fifth Amendment rights by delivering the statement.

Issa does know that just saying somebody is going to testify is not the same thing as having a commitment that they are going to testify, right?

After this Politico story came out Issa released this statement:

“Bill Taylor, Ms. Lerner’s attorney, has confirmed in writing that Ms. Lerner is willing to testify and she is now requesting a one week delay for the public hearing. We have informed Mr. Taylor that Ms. Lerner may make her request for a delay on Wednesday when she appears for the hearing.”

Okay so, if I have this straight, Lois Lerner has no intention of testifying on Wednesday, and according to Issa is asking for a one week delay, which he will consider IF she shows up for the hearing that her attorney has stated she has no intention of showing up for.

I hate to jump to conclusions here, but it looks to me is if Issa will be interrogating an empty chair on Wednesday. And yet still going to be outmatched in a battle of the wits.

Source