Congressman Trey Gowdy Slams Lois Lerner At Hearing- She made an opening statement & Can't Claim 5th Amendment Protection

Lois Lerner moments ago took the Fifth - declining to testify at the House Oversight hearing into the targeting of Conservatives by the IRS. However she made an opening statement saying she had not done anything wrong and that she would like to answer questions. Her counsel advised her to not testify. Trey Gowdy forcefully pointed out that the very action of making an opening statement makes her ineligible for 5ht Amendment protection

Gowdy receives applause



cbsnews

Before invoking her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, Lois Lerner, the head of the tax-exempt organizations division of the IRS, proclaimed her innocence before a congressional committee Wednesday.

"I have not done anything wrong," Lerner told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee."

Lerner told the committee she wanted to answer their questions about the misconduct at the IRS, but she has decided, "after very careful consideration" of her lawyer's advice, to invoke the Fifth Amendment.

"I'm asserting my right not to testify," she said. "I know some people will assume I've done something wrong. I have not. One of the basic functions of the Fifth Amendment is to protect innocent individuals."

Krauthammer: Justice Dept.Targeting Fox News James Rosen a "Brazen Assault on the First Amendment" [Video]

'We do not go after journalists who are soliciting information"..."From the beginning of this administration, the White House, starting with the president has tried to delegitimize Fox"- Krauthammer

'Ignorance is Breathtaking': Bernard Goldberg Slams MSNBC's Joy Reid [Video]

O'Reilly and Goldberg talk IRS scandal on The Factor

Fox Special Report: Bret Baier Reveals That DOJ Also Seized Phone Records For James Rosen’s Parents [Video]

Imagine this was the Bush Adm. instead of the Obama Adm. Imagine this was Alberto Gonzales instead of Eric Holder, what would the reaction be?


mediaite
During a panel discussion on the Department of Justice seizing the phone records of Fox News’ James Rosen, Bret Baier revealed that the seizure included the phone records of Rosen’s parents. The entire panel agreed the scandal was an outrage, with Kirsten Powers pointing out that there have been a number of high-profile leaks from the Obama administration, but the only ones they seem interested in going after are the ones that make them look bad.

Charles Krauthammer found it amazing that the government would make such a “huge assault on the first amendment” in trying to go after Rosen for doing his job. Baier pointed out that Rosen was never formally charged nor contacted by the government. Powers

Pew Research Poll: Plurality Of Dems Approve Of Administration Spying On AP Reporters

weaselzippers

Christian, Jewish Persecution On the Rise in Muslim Nations [Video]

CBN News' Gary Lane reports that Christian persecution is on the rise in Burma, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia and Nigeria among others

Burma: Government cracking down on Christians, burning Churches, forced labor
Egypt: Muslims attacking Churches. Christians call the police and nothing happens.
Nigeria: Muslim radicals have murdered hundreds of Christians, churches burned
Sudan: Churches closed, government wants all Christians out. Lane points out that Christianity was in the city of Khartoum long before Islam ever became a religion. Here is his report from CBN News





cbnnews
The U.S. State Department's International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 shows persecution against Christians and Jews is on the rise today, especially in Muslim countries.

Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, Iran, Libya, Tunisia are among the many countries where non-Muslims are suffering persecution.

 

Saudi Arabia prohibits any religion except Islam and enforces state restrictions on religious freedom.

In Sudan, Islamist rioters burned down an evangelical church compound. In Libya, terrorists bombed an Orthodox church, and Muslim radicals murdered hundreds of Christians in Nigeria.
    
The report also devotes a section to the ongoing global increase in anti-Semitism, citing Venezuela, Egypt and Iran as countries with political and religious leaders who openly espouse Holocaust denial and anti-Israel rhetoric.

Here is the International Freedom Report, country-by-country showing the rise in persecution

New Heritage Video: Demand the Truth on Benghazi

President Obama has dismissed questions about the Benghazi debacle as a political "side show." Demand the truth. The American people deserve answers

Greg Gutfeld: "This Administration Is As Transparent As a Burqa"

Andrea Tantaros and Greg Gutfeld on the news that Obama was not bothered in any way that he was not notified by senior officials inside the WH about the IRS scandal and that he continues to stick to the story that he learned about the news from reports on television

GUTFELD: "The whole IRS story was supposed to be, 'gee whiz, we didn't know anything about it.' Now we find out it was more choreographed than CATS"