Quote(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced that U.S District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan today threatened to hold the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department attorneys in contempt of court after the IRS failed to produce status reports and newly recovered emails of Lois Lerner, former director of the Exempt Organizations Unit of the IRS, as he had ordered on July 1, 2015.

During the a status hearing today, Sullivan warned that the failure to follow his order was serious and the IRS and Justice Department's excuses for not following his July 1 order were "indefensible, ridiculous, and absurd."  He asked the IRS' Justice Department lawyer Geoffrey Klimas, "Why didn't the IRS comply" with his court order and "why shouldn't the Court hold the Commissioner of the IRS in contempt."  Judge Sullivan referenced his contempt findings against Justice Department prosecutors in the prosecution of late Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) and reminded the Justice Department attorney he had the ability to detain him for contempt.  Warning he would tolerate no further disregard of his orders, Judge Sullivan said, "I will haul into court the IRS Commissioner to hold him personally into contempt."

After the hearing, Judge Sullivan issued the following "minute order":


At the July 29, 2015 status hearing, the Government agreed that the Court's July 1, 2015 oral order from the bench was clear and enforceable.  Nonetheless, the Government reasoned it inappropriate to file a motion for reconsideration until a written order was issued.  As expressed at the hearing, the Government's reasoning is nonsensical.  Officers of the Court who fail to comply with Court orders will be held in contempt.  Also, in the event of non-compliance with future Court orders, the Commissioner of the IRS and others shall be directed to show cause as to why they should not be held in contempt of Court.  The Court's July 1, 2015 ruling from the bench stands: (1) the Government shall produce relevant documents every Monday; (2) the Government's document production shall be accompanied by a status report that indicates (a) whether TIGTA has turned over any new documents to the IRS, (b) if so, the number of documents, and (c) a timeframe for the IRSs production of those documents. Signed by Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on July 29, 2015.

At a July 1, 2015, status conference, Sullivan ordered the IRS to begin producing, every week, the nearly 1,800 newly recovered Lerner emails responsive to Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.  Despite the court order, the IRS did not produce any Lerner emails until July 15.  The IRS also failed to provide Judicial Watch a status report of the Lerner email production issues, as also ordered by Sullivan.  Last week, Judge Sullivan ordered sua sponte the parties to appear for a status hearing today after Judicial Watch raised concerns about the IRS' failure to comply with his orders to release the newly discovered Lerner emails and status updates on its production of previously "missing" documents
http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/federal-judge-threatens-to-hold-irs-commissioner-doj-lawyers-in-contempt-of-court-over-lerner/

WOW!! Someone may be going to jail over the Learner E-mails! The IRS Commissioner? OJ Attorneys? This judge is done messing around. I smell an independent prosecutor being appointed like he did in the Stevens case!

This is a "District" Judge.

I would look at the Judges above him.  I doubt that the IRS or DOJ Attorneys are losing any sleep.

Everything stops with the AG..... and we know her!

Who would enforce his order....certainly not the New Attorney general. My Money says she'd Quash any bench warrant.

Quote from: Billy's bayonet on July 30, 2015, 05:31:47 AM
Who would enforce his order....certainly not the New Attorney general. My Money says she'd Quash any bench warrant.

This is the same judge that appointed a special prosecutor after the justice department atty's were found to be lying and withholding evidence in the Stevens trial! He will appoint a independent prosecutor if the justice department screws around with his court! This could get really interesting really fast! If the Attorney general interferes with his court he could pull her in for contempt too!   

Quote from: kroz on July 30, 2015, 04:36:30 AM
This is a "District" Judge.

I would look at the Judges above him.  I doubt that the IRS or DOJ Attorneys are losing any sleep.

Everything stops with the AG..... and we know her!

A federal district judge has the power to appoint a special prosecutor and this one has done just that during the senator Stevens trial! He went after the DOJ once before and reminded them of that in his ruling! One interesting fact is this guy was a Clinton appointee but obviously he considers himself a judge not a party hack!

Quote from: redbeard on July 30, 2015, 10:48:03 AM
This is the same judge that appointed a special prosecutor after the justice department atty's were found to be lying and withholding evidence in the Stevens trial! He will appoint a independent prosecutor if the justice department screws around with his court! This could get really interesting really fast! If the Attorney general interferes with his court he could pull her in for contempt too!

So who would he send to lock up the Attorney General....certainly not the US Marshals who are under her.....

Quote from: Billy's bayonet on July 30, 2015, 05:39:51 PM

So who would he send to lock up the Attorney General....certainly not the US Marshals who are under her.....

US marshals may work under the DOJ but the Atty General is not above the law. If a warrant is issued aren't they required to carry it out? We have had atty generals in the past go to jail!
If they fail to carry out a federal judges order can't they be arrested themselves for contempt?

There's gotta' be a perp walk in there for someone!

Quote from: redbeard on July 30, 2015, 05:43:24 PM
US marshals may work under the DOJ but the Atty General is not above the law. If a warrant is issued aren't they required to carry it out? We have had atty generals in the past go to jail!
If they fail to carry out a federal judges order can't they be arrested themselves for contempt?

JUDGES DON;T ISSUE WARRANTS FOR ARREST, THEY ONLY SIGN OFF ON THEM, USUALLY AFTER IT HAS BEEN INITIATED AND APPROVED by a PROSECUTOR I'm figuring that the Judge would not issue warrants but rather subpeonea's.

And Subpeona's can be served by anybody...even a CIVILIAN (process server).  Now if they didn't honor a subpeonea then the Judge could issue a BENCH WARRANT which only HE can quash....unless he is removed from office by higher authority....AND a bench warrant, IF EXTRADICTABLE, could also be served by non Federal Law Men as long as it was ON PUBLIC GROUND. But I suspect they'd use the district US Marshal for something like that.

What would be interesting would be if it came to the local district head Marshal and he was ordered to stand down by DOJ....

They only recourse is to abolish the IRS.

Quote from: redbeard on July 29, 2015, 08:59:54 PM
WOW!! Someone may be going to jail over the Learner E-mails! The IRS Commissioner? OJ Attorneys? This judge is done messing around. I smell an independent prosecutor being appointed like he did in the Stevens case!

If the judge was serious, he'd cite him for contempt without a warning.