Category: “Your Tax Dollars At Work”

The title above was indeed an IRS employee speaking about the recent IRS scandal.  You remember – that little “rogue employee” brouhaha where Tea Party and other targeted conservative groups submitting for tax-exempt status were deliberately slow-rolled or obstructed while liberal or well-connected political allies of the POTUS got expedited treatment?. 

For full details, read the UK Daily Mail article.  It’s really quite interesting.

The statement was made about events occurring at the IRS connected to the scandal in 2010.  While not conclusive, this – and other information in the article – suggests knowledge of the scandal by IRS higher-ups as well as possible central direction of same from DC.

But remember – no need for anyone to pay much attention to this little flap.  It’s nothing anyone should worry about.  This was all the work of a couple of “rogue employees” acting on their own, remember?  The Administration said so, so it must be true.  Right?

Yeah, right.  More like, “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

Originally the current Administration blamed the ever-expanding IRS scandal on the actions of “two rogue employees”.  Well, that number now appears to be just a little bit low.

CNN is reporting that the true number might well be much higher.  Apparently the IRS has identified 88 employees who may have documents relevant to the unlawful selective targeting of conservative political groups based on ideological grounds.  The IRS has advised these employees to preserve all such documents for investigative purposes.  Disposition of such documents now will violate Federal records laws and could constitute obstruction of justice.

How many of these 88 employees were active participants in the conspiracy and how many may have merely received documents relating to same is not yet known.  However, the sheer number of persons potentially involved – nearly 90 IRS employees, with perhaps more yet to be uncovered – is a strong indication that the original Administration position that the scandal was the result of the actions of “two rogue employees” is an utter canard.

The large scope of document collection efforts is now cited by the IRS as the reason for delay in turning over relevant documents concerning the scandal to the House Ways and Means Committee.  The original deadline set by the Committee was May 21.

Stay tuned.  This could get even more interesting.

Another periodic update on that seemingly-endless IRS scandal:

• The former IRS Commissioner at the heart of the scandal, Douglas Shulman, met with the POTUS a minimum of 157 times before he was “fired” due to the scandal left office.  This is almost twice as many times as the POTUS met with any other Cabinet official during that same period.  (Shulman’s boss, Treasury Secretary Gertner, met with the POTS less than 50 times during the same period; the Attorney General, Eric Holder, only 62 times.)   In contrast, the previous IRS Commissioner met once with the previous POTUS in four years.  That’s one helluva lot of meetings. I wonder what they talked about?
• There are indications that at least five pro-Israel groups may have been targeted for IRS “attention” for political reasons – specifically, because they disagreed with the current Administration regarding aspects of US policy towards Israel.
• It also is looking as if the IRS may well have targeted conservative groups and individuals more broadly than previously thought.  Substantial anecdotal evidence is now appearing that tends to support this theory.  Further, the Treasury Department IG official investigating the matter “recently acknowledged that he’s looking into other watch lists created by IRS employees.”
• And, finally:  the IRS appears to have promoted one of those “rogue” employees directly involved in the political targeting of conservative groups.  Hey, that’s some serious discipline for violating the law!  That will certainly teach him a lesson!

Gee – “watch lists” made up of people who would get additional IRS “attention” because they oppose the  POTUS or his policies.  That sounds familiar . . . where have I heard of that before?  What was it called . . . ?

Oh yeah –  I remember.  That was about 40 years ago.  It was called the President’s “enemies list”.

But remember:  nothing to see here, folks; move along.  “Pay no attention to the man behind the screen.”

Update on events in the ongoing IRS scandal over the last 24 hours:

• The current head of the IRS Tax Exempt Divison, Lois Lerner, invoked the 5th Amendment in testifying in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee yesterday – but did so after making an opening statement giving her side of the story.
• Making that statement may well have been a mistake, though.  There is substantial thought in legal circles that making an opening statement during testimony constitutes a waiver of 5th Amendment rights.  On further consideration, Chairman Dan Issa of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee apparently agrees.  He plans to recall Lerner to testify again.
• Lerner’s conduct some 15 years or so ago as a chief of enforcement for the Federal Election Commission is now also getting fresh scrutiny.  The conduct of her subordinates then is also troubling, and may be relevant to the current IRS scandal.  In the 1990s, lawyers working for Ms. Lerner in one investigation of a conservative Christian group asked some irrelevant and troubling questions about religion and prayer while taking depositions.  Sound familiar?
• The IRS’s internal investigation into discrimination against conservative groups by the Tax Exempt division was completed in May 2012, but apparently was deliberately concealed from Congress until after the 2012 elections.
• White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler was briefed in general terms about the pending Treasury IG investigation of the scandal in late April 2013, and shared that information informally with the White House Chief of Staff, Denis McDonough and some others on the senior staff.  Senior White House staff had further discussions with Treasury department officials concerning the matter afterwards.  However, supposedly no one told the POTUS anything for about two weeks – allegedly because Ruemmler and McDonough agreed it wasn’t something that should be brought to the POTUS’s attention. (For what it’s worth, at least one person who’s previously worked in the White House Chief of Staff’s office for two years says the claim that the White House Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel would agree to keep the POTUS in the dark on such an issue “very odd”, going so far as to call that claim “the most curious whopper I’ve heard so far” about the scandal.)
• Even Democratic Representatives appear to be losing patience.  Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-MA, indicated during the hearings yesterday that withholding information or dancing around questions would result in “hell to pay” and also stated:  “We know where that will lead. It will lead to a special prosecutor.”

Oh well.  Bottom line:  it seems like nothing much happened yesterday except for rather infuriating obfuscation and tap-dancing on the part of Administration officials.

I’d swear I’ve seen something like this before.  When was it?  What was that quote . . . ?

Oh, yeah – I remember now.

“I don’t give a shit what happens. I want you all to stonewall it, let them plead the Fifth Amendment, cover up or anything else if it’ll save it – save the plan. That’s the whole point . . . We’re going to protect our people, if we can.”

But remember:  nothing to see here, folks.  Everything is fine; everything’s under control.  Move along.

A quick update on events in the ongoing IRS scandal over the last few days:

• The ex-head of the IRS personally knew that conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status were being discriminated against by IRS officials roughly a year before the matter became public, and apparently did nothing of significance.
• The discrimination against conservative groups apparently began in 2010.
• The POTUS met personally with the head of the NTEU on 31 Mar 2010 – about the time that the unlawful bias against conservative organizations by the IRS began.  The NTEU’s PAC reportedly contributed heavily to anti-Tea Party candidates in both 2010 and 2012.
• And, finally:  the head of the IRS Tax-Exempt Division will reportedly invoke the 5th Amendment when called to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the matter.

And don’t blame the Administration for this unethical and unlawful mess.  According to Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee, an ambiguous tax code is to blame for the IRS selectively targeting the Administration’s political opponents here.  By that logic, I guess the tax code must also be to blame for giving the Administration’s political allies and the POTUS’s relatives expedited approvals.

Nothing to see here, folks.  Move along.

Yeah, right.  What’s next – are we going to see a prominent Administration official coming out and saying publicly, “I am not a crook”?

Today’s update for the last 24 hours or so:

• The IRS asked one Pro-Life group for the following information in connection with their application for tax-exempt status:  “Please detail the content of the members of your organization’s prayers.“
• Senior Treasury officials – including the Deputy Treasury Secretary and the Treasury Department General Counsel – were informed in June 2012 of the fact that the IRS IG was investigating elements of the agency for ideologically-motivated harassment.
• It appears the IRS avoided disclosing the scandal involving additional scrutiny and/or harassment of conservative organizations and individuals, deliberately waiting until after the 2012 elections to disclose the scandal.
• The outgoing head of the IRS, Steve Miller, in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committed on Friday, 17 May 2013, couldn’t remember who at was responsible for targeting conservative groups by his agency.  Even though he did remember asking his senior technical advisor, Nancy Marks, that question, he just couldn’t remember her answer.
• The initial disclosure of the IRS scandal by Acting IRS Tax Exempt Division chief Lois Lerner was not spontaneous, but was pre planned and timed to coincide with the release of the IRS IG Report on the same matter.
• The husband of the current head of the IRS’s Tax Exempt Division, Lois Lehrner, works for a law firm with close ties to the current Administration.
• Ms. Lerner also personally approved the tax-exempt certification for that highly-questionable charity run by the POTUS’s half-brother.
• Senators Chuck Schumer, Michael Bennet, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff Merkley, Tom Udall, Jeanne Shaheen and Al Franken urged the IRS to target conservative organizations in 2012.
• Larry Conners, the news anchor who complained that he might have been the target of IRS retaliation after asking the POTUS pointed questions about First Family vacations, has been “temporarily” taken off the air by his employer.
• That ”paragon of taxpaying virtue” Rep. Charles Rangel seems even bothered, saying, “This is wrong to abuse the tax system.”

But don’t worry about any of that, folks.  Just sit back and listen to the former head of the IRS, Steve Miller, speaking about the recent targeting of conservative group and individuals by his agency:  “It is absolutely not illegal.”

Sweet Jesus – what’s next?   Is someone in this Administration about to stand up and publicly say, “If the President does it, it’s not illegal”?