Will there be an investigation into the questionable (to put it kindly) story about the “lost” e-mails from Lois Lerner’s computer? And if so, will any of the seemingly obvious and substantive questions about this tale be asked? At her blog, Sharyl Attkisson provides a list of the questions she would like to see asked, assuming anyone in DC is actually interested in finding the truth. Here are just a few.

Please provide a timeline of the crash and documentation covering when it was first discovered and by whom; when, how and by whom it was learned that materials were lost; the official documentation reporting the crash and federal data loss; documentation reflecting all attempts to recover the materials; and the remediation records documenting the fix. This material should include the names of all officials and technicians involved, as well as all internal communications about the matter.

Please provide all documents and emails that refer to the crash from the time that it happened through the IRS’ disclosure to Congress Friday that it had occurred.

Please provide the documents that show the computer crash and lost data were appropriately reported to the required entities including any contractor servicing the IRS. If the incident was not reported, please explain why.

Please explain why redundancies required for federal systems were either not used or were not effective in restoring the lost materials, and provide documentation showing how this shortfall has been remediated.

Please provide any documents reflecting an investigation into how the crash resulted in the irretrievable loss of federal data and what factors were found to be responsible for the existence of this situation.

I would also ask for those who discovered and reported the crash to testify under oath, as well as any officials who reported the materials as having been irretrievably lost.

I think it’s possible that at least some of the Republicans will be able to engineer a set of questions which are both as specific as those and as professionally stated. What will be revealing – if it happens – is if and how such questions are answered. Of all the strange tales and fables coming out of this investigation, the Sorry, but the dog ate my homework defense has to be the one which comes from furthest out in the Twilight Zone. It would be instructive to see how the administration and the upper management at the IRS respond to a set of questions such as this.

On a side note, Attkisson has a new book coming out soon. The title is, Stonewalled. My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington. For those interested (and who may not have heard about it yet) you can pre-order a copy here.