A Republican congressman filed a motion Thursday asking that the House order the arrest of former IRS employee Lois G. Lerner — though it’s unlikely to ever come to the floor for a full vote.
Rep. Steve Stockman, Texas Republican, said the House has no choice but to pursue Ms. Lerner itself, saying it’s become clear the Obama Justice Department won’t enforce a contempt of Congress citation against her.
“How much longer will the House allow itself to be mocked?” Mr. Stockman said in a statement.
He said Ms. Lerner would be held in the District of Columbia’s jail, and would retain full legal rights and access to her lawyer.
House Speaker John A. Boehner, however, has previously shot down the idea of having the House arrest Ms. Lerner. He said that decision was up to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
The last time Congress has used its contempt powers to order an arrest was in the 1930s.
The House voted earlier this year to hold Ms. Lerner in contempt for refusing to answer questions from the oversight committee after the committee ruled she had waived her right against self-incrimination in May 2013.
Mr. Stockman said Congress has the authority to order an arrest.
He pointed to Democrats, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who told the Huffington Post website last month that she could have had Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s political adviser, arrested when she was speaker of the House.
Ms. Lerner, the key figure in the IRS’s tea party targeting scandal, has said she did nothing wrong. Her lawyer has said the House’s vote to hold her in contempt is politically motivated.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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