Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., argued at a House hearing involving former IRS official Lois Lerner after she once again asserted her Fifth Amendment right not to testify on Wednesday.
Lerner had already pleaded the Fifth last year during questioning about her role in the IRS scandal which alleged that Tea Party and other groups were singled out for extra scrutiny when applying for tax-exempt status.
“On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully exercise my Fifth Amendment right and decline to answer that question,” she replied in response to questions.
The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) got into a heated and deeply personal argument with Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) after Issa tried to adjourn the hearing.
Cummings said he wanted to ask a “procedural question” but Issa stood up and prepared to leave, to which Cummings replied: “Mr. Chairman, you cannot run a committee like this.”Cummings then had his microphone turned off and on several times still prepared to raise his question. However, Issa released Lerner announcing: “We’re adjourned, close it down.”
Cummings shouted complaints about the Republicans’ “one-sided investigation,” hollering: “I am a member of the Congress of the United States. I am tired of this.”
You can watch the two in action, below, from NBC News:
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