Melissa Mackenzie:
For years, Lois Lerner used the IRS as the Democrats personal cudgel against Tea Party groups. Honest citizens were harassed, bullied, audited, denied approval for tax-exempt organizations, and generally tormented.
So, Lois Lerner wants to keep her testimony and the truth under lock and key in the Tea Party case. Didn’t know there was a Tea Party case? That’s because the whole trial is sealed. And now, Lerner is afraid her life might be in danger if the truth comes out.Puhleeze.
Attorneys for the tea party groups suing the IRS say the argument against full disclosure doesn’t hold up. They asked the court Wednesday to make the IRS officials’ testimony public and to also open a May 19 hearing to the public.
Their arguments, like most documents in the case, are not publicly available because U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett ordered them filed under seal. The hearing on May 19 will address those issues, but it, too, is closed to the public.
Edward Greim, an attorney for the tea party groups, said he’s not permitted to discuss the brief he filed under seal, but said the allegations against the IRS are serious and the public has a right to know what happened. The tea party groups expect Lerner and Paz to shed light on the issue when they testify in sworn depositions.
“Generally, our position is that this is a matter of great public interest and there is no legal basis for sealing the depositions or the arguments about whether the depositions should be sealed,” Greim said.
What is particularly galling is the damage the IRS did and now, they want to be spared with the public consequences of their words and actions.
Shoulda thought of that before you start violating people’s rights.