Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) told IRS officials on the panel that there will be "hell to pay" if they refuse to answer the committee's questions — a message clearly targeted at Lois Lerner, whose lawyer has said she will plead the Fifth Amendment and not answer questions.
"If you refuse to answer," Lynch said, "you will leave us no choice but to ask for a special counsel or the appointment of a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this."
Lynch added: "I hope that's not the approach of the IRS going forward, because there will be hell to pay."
Lynch's superior on the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), previously asked the committee to respect Lerner's right to plead the Fifth.