The House of Representatives will vote this week on whether to hold former head of tax exempt groups at the IRS Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress. Back in April, the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Lerner in Contempt after she plead the Fifth for a second time in March. Many lawmakers argue Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment rights the first time she testified the first time last year due to making an opening statement before claiming she wished to remain silent.
Since pleading the Fifth for a second time, emails have surfaced showing Lerner was in contact with the Department of Justice about the possible criminal prosecution of conservative tea party groups her special interest friends wanted "shut down."
Last week, Lerner's attorney said it would be "un-American" to hold her contempt and asked for a special opportunity to defend and make her case in front of Congress before the contempt vote this week. That request was denied.
So what's next after the contempt vote? POLITICO has the details:
After the vote, the matter will then most likely move to court, where a judge will determine whether Lerner had a right to invoke her Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer House GOP lawmakers’ questions about her role in the controversy.
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