UPDATED: Furious House Dems Demand Issa's Removal As Committee Chairman

[DonViejo]

Last edited Thu Mar 6, 2014, 05:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: TPM

ERIC LACH – MARCH 6, 2014, 1:19 PM EST7

Democrats in the House want to keep their mics on.

Following a brief but contentious House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, senior Democrats came out Thursday to denounce the actions of committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the lawmaker who is leading numerous investigations of the Obama administration.

The issue for Democrats was the way Issa abruptly adjourned Wednesday's hearing, where a star witness in the IRS "targeting" scandal reasserted her Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer questions. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the ranking member of the committee, attempted to make a statement at the end of hearing, but ended up having to shout his points -- Issa had turned off his microphone.

On Thursday, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, wrote a letter to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on behalf of the caucus, demanding that Issa be removed as chairman of the Oversight Committee.

"As the Speaker, you are responsible for maintaining decorum and appropriate conduct in the House of Representatives and ordering the Sergeant at Arms to enforce House rules," Fudge wrote. "We urge you to take prompt action to maintain the integrity of this body and remove Mr. Issa as chair of the Oversight & Government Reform Committee immediately."

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/democrats-target-issa

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UPDATE

GOP blocks Dem effort to chastise Issa’s conduct

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have blocked an attempt by Democrats to chastise California Republican Darrell Issa (EYE’-suh) for his conduct at a committee hearing.

Issa abruptly adjourned a hearing of the House Oversight Committee Wednesday. He instructed committee staff to turn off the microphone of the committee’s top Democrat, congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland. The hearing was on the improper targeting of tea party groups by the Internal Revenue Service. Cummings was trying to say that Republicans have overblown the controversy.

Ohio Democrat Marcia Fudge offered a resolution condemning Issa for his, quote, “offensive and disrespectful manner.”

But the House voted 211-186 to block the resolution.

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http://www.salon.com/2014/03/06/gop_blocks_dem_effort_to_chastise_issas_conduct/

[dsteve01]

1. This is a story

It sounds like democrats will grow a spine in this case. Let's see how it develops.

[Scuba]

2. You're adorable!

It'll be forgotten before the sunsets.

[dsteve01]

5. I'll quote you on that.

[rhett o rick]

6. Rhetoric

[sylvanus]

19. Just blew wine out my nose, thanks.

I know your being snarky. But the fact that Issa is still in Washington
and still holding all these ridiculous hearings is a testament to your cynical truth.

[DeSwiss]

38. You just won the Internets!!!

YAY!!! YAY!!! YAY!!! YAY!!!

[DonViejo]

4. Boehner will ignore them, Dems with a spine or without. eom

[freshwest]

34. True. He got away with leaking classified documents on Benghazi for poltiics before. n/t

[Bandit]

29. Didn't you read the whole thing

Republicans already blocked the resolution. It isn't going anywhere

[DonViejo]

40. Ummm...

I entered the OP: Thu Mar 6, 2014, 03:58 PM

I made the above comment you are responding to, Thu Mar 6, 2014, 04:14 PM

I updated my original OP with news of the move by Dems being blocked:

Last edited Thu Mar 6, 2014, 04:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Yes, I read the article. Thanks for asking!

[Thinkingabout]

3. Again the real truth needs to come to light. Issa doesn't want the truth because he knows

The RW groups wasn't targeted any more than the Democrats were. If the truth is out then Issa will not be able to keep this crap going. Issa should be compared to Putin, stone faced cold and out of touch. He needs to be impeached if he keeps wasting our dollars on this crap.

[mulsh]

10. as I posted elsewhere Issa is doing exactly what his party and its leaders

like him to do. Treating democrats and especially black democrats with contempt. Boehner obviously supports him as do all of the other leading Repubs who have yet to criticize him. The silence is deafening at times. The GOP hoods are off.

[ctsnowman]

45. Nailed it.

[Stonepounder]

48. The truth is out there.

And Issa keeps right on spewing his lies and FOX reports his lies as gospel and his constituency keep reelecting him. Just wait until the Kochs get a grip on both houses of Congress as well and SCOTUS. Put a fork in US, we're done.

[Thinkingabout]

49. I wish I could say you are wrong but I would be wrong.

[hue]

7. K&R!

[The Wizard]

8. Is Issa

the Repube Baghdad Bob?

[pangaia]

21. He's the congressional Joe the Plumber.

[Cleita]

9. The man is a crook. He needs to be investigated by the attorney general

and kicked out of Congress altogether. I think orange is a good color for him.

[Number23]

11. Go Cummings! Go Fudge! Go CBC!! K&R

[aquart]

12. If he wants EYE-sa, let him spell it Isa. Double consonant requires short vowel.

English has rules just like Congress. Some of us respect them.

[Berlum]

16. "Issa is a IsHole (R)." - Jar Jar Binks

[riqster]

27. OK, Jar Jar, just this once, I like you.

[dhill926]

13. They'll huff and they'll puff...

and down the rabbit hole it will go….

[YOHABLO]

14. Issa is just the tip of the iceberg .. I hope this gets good coverage .. on FOX .. ha ha

Love to see how they support his actions.

[freshwest]

35. Faux told Lerner to come clean to stop the death threats she's been getting, inspired by Faux. nt

[libodem]

15. The man is a crook

And a national embarrassment. Shame.

[olddad56]

18. and a prick

[libodem]

23. Absolutely

No sense of decorum.

[Old Codger]

17. Well now

Someone actually expects assholes to condemn another asshole for being an asshole... And they refuse... Now there's a surprise

[meanit]

31. Perhaps we should look for a bi-partisan solution to this

and extend another olive branch to our fellow lawmakers across the isle.... so they can stick the branch up our asses again for the 250th time....

(nothing to do with the subject, but it felt good to write that)

[12ZTR]

20. BOYCOTT ALL..

Republican businesses,family & friends.

[sheshe2]

22. K&R For Cummings.

Issa and the rest of the assholes.

[libodem]

24. Is it hear, hear?

Or here, here? Whatever it is, I hear, here you!!!

[The Stranger]

25. It's real simple: They stick together. We don't.

We lose.

[7962]

26. You're kidding, right? Have you been watching the train wreck going on in that party?

The infighting has been going on for awhile now. I dont see nearly as much of it in the Dem party

[The Stranger]

51. Of course I've seen it, but it never manifests when it comes time to vote.

Even during the government shut down, despite extraordinary differences, they managed to vote as a bloc.

[rurallib]

46. Plus they involve their party owned media to roil their public

I will never look, but I am sure the way this is played on FUX (with appropriately edited video) is much different than we see and hear.

[BlueStreak]

28. What House rule did he violate?

If there is a rule of conduct that he clearly violated, then they should hammer on this.

I'm glad they are speaking up either way.

This suggests that maybe the position from now on should be that everybody called in front of this committee should simply refuse to testify (5th Amendment). Let Issa figure out what good his committee is if he can't ever actually hold any hearings. Force Issa to escalate this to contempt of Congress and see where it goes. Because if this asshole is not conducting fair hearings in the public interest, it would be contempt of Issa rather than contempt of Congress.

Raise the ante. Make Boehner decide if he has the stomach for an escalated fight here. Is that really what the Republicans want to feature in an election year?

[Bandit]

30. The rules state EVERY member of a committee is allowed five minutes to speak/question

Not allowing a single member to speak has NEVER happened in the entire history of the House of Representatives.

[libodem]

32. Good Answer

[Berlum]

33. Republicons show again that they HATE America & democracy, and so will violate every norm of decency

to shove the truth -- and America -- down.

[leftieNanner]

42. The other rule he violated,

other than being a first class scum bag, is that the committee has to vote to adjourn. He can't just stand up, shut off the mikes and leave. That man needs to be gone from the House.

[BlueStreak]

44. Do we know that?

Robert's rules give a presiding officer some flexibility, but I don't know what the House rules are for committees.

It would seem that if a meeting was properly called for a stated time slot, the chairman wouldn't have the right to simply say "it is over". Under Robert's rules, if the end of the scheduled time is reached, the chairman can declare adjournment without a motion.

I still think the best tactic is for all administration witnesses to take the 5th until Issa stops being a dick. normally this would be a bad PR move. But I think the media is pretty well aware that Issa is being a dick, and if all administration reps gave him the same treatment while dealing in good faith with other committees, Issa's dickishness could become the story the media prefers to run with.

This could be a modified 5th if pressed by the media. A person could simply explain, "I and this administration have done absolutely nothing wrong. However we feel that Congressman Issa is running a Kangaroo court and by his own admission, anything we say, he wants to use against us. Therefore when appearing before his committee, our counsel has instructed us to take the 5th. If the Speaker wishes to run committees that are transparent, balanced and fair, with a chairman who is not arbitrary, capricious, and vindictive, I will be happy to appear and testify fully."

[grasswire]

36. twitter bomb the sucker

Social media can blast something like this to a painful level for Issa.

We seriously need to start using those tools of public opinion against this kind of outrage.

People use those tools against corporation, to good effect.

Let's organize.

[6000eliot]

37. Darrell Issa (ASS'-hat)

[DeSwiss]

39. He's got protection.....

- Although considering his past record, it's likely to break and screw-up everybody's life.......

K&R

[blkmusclmachine]

41. "Furious Democrats"

[Mag238]

43. They don't "get furious." They ACT "furious."

It's all theatrics.

[Hotler]

47. Removal hell!!!

Someone needs to follow that man into the men's room and when no one is looking punch him in the fucking mouth. Players in hockey games get punched all the time and the crowd cheers. It's time to stop playing nice with the GOP.

[marew]

50. Amen! nt