WaPo: IRS apologizes for inappropriately targeting conservative political groups in 2012 election

[tony72]

The law was changed in 1959,a republican was president then.they changed exclusive to primarily without congressional approval in 59.this has nothing to do with obama but everything to do with the irs refusing to enforce the law as written by congress.

[tony72]

Issa is a tool,the tea party shouldn't be tax exempt nor should any liberal group if their primary function is political.read the law please.what social welfare does the tea party provide?

[visionary]

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lois-lerner-leave-irs-91840.html

IRS official defies Washington

 

Lois Lerner isn’t leaving the IRS without a fight.

The civil servant who has found herself at the center of the agency’s tea party-targeting scandal was placed on administrative leave Thursday. The move came a day after Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the tax writing Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that Lerner was placed on administrative leave after she refused a request from Danny Werfel, the newly installed acting IRS commissioner, to resign.

“My understanding is the new acting IRS commissioner asked for Ms. Lerner’s resignation, and she refused to resign,” Grassley said. “She was then put on administrative leave instead. From all accounts so far, the IRS acting commissioner was on solid ground to ask for her resignation.”

[Larry]

Issa is a tool,the tea party shouldn't be tax exempt nor should any liberal group if their primary function is political.read the law please.what social welfare does the tea party provide?

Education?

(Entertainment?).

Education is a funny kind of word. Seems to cover all kinds of things.

(I see it used in disclaimers in "privacy policies" a lot, too. Line 1: we will not sell your information to telemarketers. Paragraph 37: we may use your information to inform you of special offers or discounts.)

[Larry]

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lois-lerner-leave-irs-91840.html

Now, that's heating things up, just a bit.

[tony72]

Where were the republicans when bush targeted the naacp and liberal churches that opposed his 2 illegal wars?

[chipwhich]

Not a fan of what has gone on in the IRS, but I have to kind of chuckle, Ms. Lerner knew where she stood and took advantage of the system that pays her.

[deejaydana]

Jay Leno (RE: the new IRS Commissioner): "They're called 'acting commissioner' because you have to act like the scandal doesn't involve the White House"

[Wrong Direction]

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/24/did-eric-holder-lie-in-congressional-testimony-last-week/

Did Eric Holder Lie in Congressional Testimony Last Week?

 

Last week, under relatively friendly questioning from Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) about the Department of Justice seizure of Associated Press phone records, Johnson asked about the potential to prosecute reporters under the Espionage Act of 1917.  ”You’ve got a long way to go to try to prosecute the press for publication of material,” Holder responded.  Later, though, he returned to the topic unbidden, emphasis mine (at the 5-minute mark):

 

In regard to potential prosecution of the press for the disclosure of material. This is not something I’ve ever been involved in, heard of, or would think would be wise policy.

 

As it turns out, Holder not only heard of it, he personally approved it.  The warrant in the Rosen case specified that he was considered a potential suspect in the leak of classified material, the reason that the DoJ didn’t bother to follow the existing Watergate-era statute in coordinating the records request with Fox News.  And note that Holder’s testimony in this case wasn’t produced by some sophisticated perjury trap sprung by a Republican, but as a freely-offered representation to no particular question during the question period of a Democrat.

 

There is no other way to view this except as a lie.  Even if Holder wasn’t under oath, that would constitute a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.  It certainly should produce at least a resignation, and almost assuredly would require the appointment of a special prosecutor, especially since the next person down in the organization, James Cole, is suspected of doing the same thing with reporters.

[twa]

come now,it wasn't the disclosure he singled out as a crime for the warrant....it was the alleged conspiracy to attain it.

 

lawyerspeak for you can't touch this

[Tulane Skins Fan]

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/24/did-eric-holder-lie-in-congressional-testimony-last-week/

 

Man, you guys really hate Holder, huh?

[deejaydana]

What do you mean "you guys?" LOL. Seriously though, his word means absolutely nothing (but I could level that claim about many a Congress critter regardless of their respective party affiliation). They ALL dirty and it just varies by degree their level of being sold out. I get it though Tulane, you're sifting through the news to find something, anything positive these days, it can't be easy. "Hate" is a completely oversued word, especially for Obama apologists. Don't hate the man, hate the dirty politics and lousy leadership.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

What do you mean "you guys?" LOL. Seriously though, his word means absolutely nothing (but I could level that claim about many a Congress critter regardless of their respective party affiliation). They ALL dirty and it just varies by degree their level of being sold out. I get it though Tulane, you're sifting through the news to find something, anything positive these days, it can't be easy. "Hate" is a completely oversued word, especially for Obama apologists. Don't hate the man, hate the dirty politics and lousy leadership.

 

Nah, that's not it.  I don't sift through the news looking for things to love or hate.  "You guys" means the righties.  You guys are obsessed with Eric Holder.  Its funny to me.

[The Evil Genius]

Personally, I hate that some of you are actively rooting for this country to fail (going on 6 years now).

 

But at least it makes it easier for me to know who to put into the box o' stupid with the YE creationists and the juggaloes.

 

[Jumbo]

That was a good post, djd, though I do think there is a lot of very real (and pathetic) hate of Obama out there--and for the "wrong" reasons (Negro/atheist/Muslim/Negro/commiesocialistpinko/Negro). Hell, I hear it every day in volume. The same was true hate-wise to some degree for Bush Jr.(mainly all the "Hitler" crap).

 

Both admins have been horrifying, but I also think that both leaders were saddled with imposed realities of immense magnitude that greatly magnified their shortcomings. But that's reality in the world and presenting yourself, and being presented by your backers, as being qualified as Potus should (right lol--I am speaking ideally here of course) mean a person is prepared to lead in the worst of circumstance, not just the easier times.

 

Meanwhile, I still think we get pretty much what we merit as an electorate in our two (or three if you like) partisan (not a typo) system more than not.

[Larry]

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/24/did-eric-holder-lie-in-congressional-testimony-last-week/

1). Wrong thread.

2). Obtaining a warrant is not prosecuting someone.

[Fergasun]

I still would like to know precisely what criminal statue Lerner is going to be charged with.  I agree it is inappropriate for the IRS to target specific groups for special treatment, which I think does have a bipartisan consensus as being what happened (its unclear if liberal groups were similarly held up...). 

 

Tax exempt status is a civil rights issue?

This is a Hatch Act violation?  Which party was Lerner endorsing on official government time?  I thought these were non-political, tax-exempt organizations?

I guess the question is, did this official misconduct violate some law.  

[twa]

yes it can be a civil rights violation....do you doubt Holder's legal acumen?

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2013/may/15/justice-investigation-irs-targeting-tea-party-wide/

 

The FBI's criminal investigation of the Internal Revenue Service could include potential civil rights violations, false statements and potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in some partisan political activities, Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday.

[chipwhich]

twa you can't prove it without a memo.  You know that. 

[Larry]

Tax exempt status is a civil rights issue?

"Equal protection under the law" is a civil rights issue.

Now, I don't see Lerner being prosecuted for that, because at least from what I've seen, she didn't target the Tea Party. Her subordinates did, she found out about it, and she ended it.

In short, I think that discriminating against groups based on which end of the political spectrum they're on, is a civil rights issue. But I don't think Lerner is guilty of doing it.

[twa]

In short, I think that discriminating against groups based on which end of the political spectrum they're on, is a civil rights issue. But I don't think Lerner is guilty of doing it.

 

curious that she invoked the 5th then,but maybe she is protecting others

 

as to her stopping it..it seems to have restarted(in a different form) under her watch

 

add

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/a-bushel-of-pinocchios-for-irss-lois-lerner/2013/05/19/771687d2-bfdd-11e2-9b09-1638acc3942e_blog.html

 

In some ways, this is just scratching the surface of Lerner’s misstatements and weasely wording when the revelations about the IRS’s activities first came to light on May 10. But, taken together, it’s certainly enough to earn her four Pinocchios.

 

 

of course she may just be naturally weasely   

[chipwhich]

But I don't think Lerner is guilty of doing it.

 

I don't know if she was, I wouldn't go out on a limb either way.

Reminds me of my first job in corporate IT, I was working at IBM at the time.  My colleague was working on an assignment at the IRS.  She was implementing an IT solution that had to do with tax returns.  In working with the employee to "debug" some software issues she asked the employee to bring up my colleagues tax return.

The IRS employee refused and said that it would get them in trouble.  They couldn't open anyones tax return without implicit permission to do so, even the IT consultants tax return who was personally giving them permission.

The IRS CAN'T run with suboridnates running wild.  There is too much at risk.

 

I guess Lerner just didn't have control over her subordinates and taking the 5th was just a coverup for her lack of control.

[Fergasun]

So let's go through the Obama admin scandal scorecard and look at the results and whether there were criminal charges brought up.

 

1) Fast and Furious - A border patrol agent was killed and it was discovered that ATF was allowing gun-walking of weapons into Mexico.  The only criminal charges brought up were against those directly involved in the border patrol agent's death (although high level ATF officials did get fired/resign).

 

2) Benghazi - 4 members of US diplomatic mission were killed in an attack on the consulate and CIA annex.  While the administration is working to "bring the terrorists to justice", there's not been any criminal charges against US government officials.

 

3) IRS - An office within the IRS was inappropriately flagging organizations applying for tax-exempt organizations for further scrutiny and asking them inappropriate questions.  This scandal did not result in deaths, yet people are calling for criminal charges?  At most high level government officials involved will lose their job.  

 

At least these scandals are more sexy than IG/attorney firing controversies.  Not as sexy to me as anything involving the financial crisis. 

[twa]

Ferg...death is a requirement for a crime to have been committed now?

 

the IRS one has more chance of charges since there are more laws and rights in play.

 

there is no right to the US rescuing it's people....a duty certainly in most peoples eyes\

]nor a right to adequate security (despite it being required)

not even a right to transparency...despite talk of it.

[Fergasun]

I'm just pointing out the severity of this scandal when compared to other recent scandals.  I've still yet to see a specific section of US Code that was broken. 

 

I'm actually have a chance to read the TIGTA report now.  It seems like the there were other criteria on the "be on the lookout list" and the TIGTA for some reason didn't make any effort to determine whether that was appropriate.  (Footnote 16 on Page 6). 

 

Wait a minute, (page 8) "The IRS was not politically biased in its identification of applications for processing by specialists" they were 1/3rd of the applications forwarded to specialists).  This flies in the face of pretty much everything I've seen.  Oh, I see *all* Tea Party, 9/12 and Patriots names were forwarded.  I don't see how page 8 makes any sense.  There was either bias or not.... there were other organizations that got further scrutiny, but *all* the Tea Party, 9/12 and Patriots groups were given scrutiny.