Well, things sometimes move slowly in an investigation.\u00a0 That\u2019s especially true when those in charge seem to be \u201cslow-rolling\u201d things or ignoring blatant wrongdoing.<\/p>\n
But not everybody is \u201cmarking time\u201d.\u00a0 It seems that we have two different media organizations who are continuing to investigate this possible criminal conspiracy<\/span> issue.\u00a0 They\u2019ve identified at least one \u2013 and likely two \u2013 IRS insiders who leaked confidential IRS information about conservative groups to the Administration\u2019s political allies and\/or other unauthorized persons.\u00a0 And they\u2019ve also identified at least one of the recipients of this unlawfully disclosed information \u2013 who later made it public.<\/p>\n One of these organizations, National Review Online<\/i>, has identified the individual who unlawfully leaked donor list information for the National Organization for Marriage<\/a>.\u00a0 This information was used by Romney\u2019s political enemies during the 2012 Presidential campaign.<\/p>\n National Review has not yet publicly disclosed the identity of the IRS source for the leak.\u00a0 However, they have identified the recipient:\u00a0 Matthew Meisel, a former associate of Romney at Bain & Company, who presumably has an axe to grind.\u00a0 Meisel in turn passed this information along to others who were not authorized to receive it \u2013 specifically, to the \u201cHuman Rights Campaign\u201d – thus making the information public.<\/p>\n The second media organization, the Washington Examiner<\/i>, has obtained e-mails identifying the individual who leaked tax return information about multiple conservative groups (including the American Future Fund and the American Issues Project<\/a>) to the Federal Election Commission.\u00a0 This information does not appear to have been used during the 2012 Presidential campaign; however, the disclosure of this information was nonetheless unlawful. \u00a0\u00a0And it also raises an interesting question:\u00a0 why would the FEC ask for information regarding groups that had applied for, but not yet received, tax-exempt status?<\/p>\n The Washington Examiner<\/i> has not publicly identified the specific individuals who received this information.\u00a0 However, they have identified the leak\u2019s source:\u00a0 one each Ms. Lois Lehrner.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re thinking that name rings a bell \u2013 you\u2019re right.\u00a0 Lois Lehrner is indeed the former senior official at the IRS who was at or near the center of this controversy from day one.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear if the two leaks had the same source.\u00a0 The articles seem to indicate they likely don\u2019t, but until National Review Online<\/i> identifies the source of the leaks to Meisel, we won\u2019t know that for certain.<\/p>\n If I were Lerner and Meisel \u2013 and anyone else directly involved – I think I\u2019d consult with legal counsel pronto.\u00a0 If what\u2019s alleged is correct, they may have some \u2018splainin\u2019 to do in court.\u00a0 Unauthorized public disclosure of confidential IRS tax information by anyone appears to be a Federal crime under 26 USC 6103(a)<\/a>.\u00a0 And doing so apparently is a Federal felony.<\/p>\n Stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"