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Thin Issa
Author: Raine    Date: 05/22/2013 12:52:23

Darrell Issa - Chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - gave an interview last week regarding the IRS situation.
A Treasury Department official, Neal Wolin, was informed that the IG was looking into the situation this past summer, a revelation the media and GOP have seized on to suggest the White House may have covered up the scandal in the midst of a campaign.

(snip) "I know approximately what's in it," Issa told Bloomberg Businessweek on Monday when asked if he knew what would be in the report. "I knew what was approximately in it when we made the allegations about a year ago. This is one of those things where it's been, in a sense, an open secret, but you don't accuse the IRS until you've had a nonpartisan, deep look. That's what the IG has done. That's why the IGs in fact exist within government, is to find this kind of waste and fraud and abuse of power."
It turns out Mr. Issa knew more than approximate information. He'd been in contact with the Treasury inspector General since 2012:
Menendez: "Inspector General, did Chairman Issa send a letter on August 3rd of 2012 to all the inspector generals reminding them that under the Inspector Generals Act it requires IGs to report particularly flagrant problems to Congress through the agency head within seven days via what has become known as the seven day letter. Did you receive that letter? And, if so, did you respond to inform Chairman Isaa of your investigation into the IRS?"

George: "Senator, we did receive the letter, and Chairman Issa's committee was the first to actually contact us regarding this matter. And so through the course of engaging the review, on occasion we have had communications with his staff."

Menendez: "In 2012?"

George: "And since then, yes."

Menendez: "Thank you."
So here we have Representative Issa who knew all along about this investigation, and as of yesterday we learned that the head of the IRS Cincinnati office has invoked the 5th amendment regarding the hearing that his committee is holding:
“She has not committed any crime or made any misrepresentation but under the circumstances she has no choice but to take this course,” an attorney for Lois Lerner told committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) in a letter obtained Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times.

Since she intends not to answer questions, the letter requests Lerner be exempt from the Wednesday hearing because her appearance would “have no purpose other than to embarrass or burden her.”

Lerner initially revealed during a Q&A session in Washington that Internal Revenue Service agents employed at the Cincinnati branch office improperly scrutinized conservative non-profit groups for additional reviews from 2010 to 2012. Lerner only recently disclosed that the question was planted, however. (snip)

The White House maintains that senior aides, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, did not inform President Barack Obama of the impending investigation at the direction of general counsel Kathy Ruemmler, believing it would have been inappropriate before the findings were finalized.
Lois Lerner had a question planted at her own Q&A:
“On May 9, I received a call from Lois Lerner, who told me that she wanted to address an issue after her prepared remarks … and asked if I would pose a question to her after her remarks. I agreed to do so.…We had no discussion thereafter on the topic of the question, nor had we spoken about any of this before I received her call. She did not tell me, and I did not know, how she would answer the question.”
That article was published May 18. Ms. Lerner gave her speech to the American Bar Association on May 10. Here is the transcript and the question she wanted to have asked of her. I think it is fair to say that if Darrell Issa knew of this investigation, he would know of Lois Lerner. Why she won't talk is a mystery considering she wanted to have a very specific question asked of her on May 9, 2013. On May 11, WH spokeperson Jay Carney stated that the report was still under review: “If the Inspector General finds that there were any rules broken or that conduct of government officials did not meet the standards required of them, the President expects that swift and appropriate steps will be taken to address any misconduct.” On May 12 Wapo stated:
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday he’s not satisfied with the Obama administration’s handling of the controversy. The IG report was “leaked by the IRS. to try to spin the output,” Issa said, and lawmakers now need to go through the full report so they can “see what the instituted changes need to be to make this not happen again.


Think about this again:
George: "Senator, we did receive the letter, and Chairman Issa's committee was the first to actually contact us regarding this matter. And so through the course of engaging the review, on occasion we have had communications with his staff."

Menendez: "In 2012?"

George: "And since then, yes."
The IG report was requested by Darrell Issa himself. It seems highly unlikely that he didn't know what was coming down the pike. It almost seems as though he was complicit in covering this up. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure any report was leaked as Darrell Issa claims. Stories were leaked, Questions were planted -- The audit itself was made public on May 14. Issa knew this would be coming to the forefront.

You know what the real scandal is here? It's what isn't being reported.
Our pieces in December and January raised very serious questions about whether six different "dark money" political groups seeking tax exemption had made false statements on their applications. Those applications are signed under penalty of perjury . If any false statements were made knowingly, the groups— including Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS —may have committed a crime.
That is what the IRS and the DOJ should be looking at.

and
Raine
 

63 comments (Latest Comment: 05/23/2013 01:37:29 by Will in Chicago)
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Comment by wickedpam on 05/22/2013 13:13:53
Morning

Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 13:36:24
Here is my question for Rep. Issa; how many of the these Tea Party groups were denied tax exempt status?

Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 13:37:57
Alex Jones, you never disappoint.

Government weather weapon?

Comment by wickedpam on 05/22/2013 13:45:32


Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 13:51:55
Comment by TriSec on 05/22/2013 13:58:42
<-- That kind of a day.

Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 14:08:00
Good morning.

Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 14:13:34
Quote by TriSec:
<-- That kind of a day.



:makes best series of funny faces: Did that help?


How was camping and hiking with children?

Comment by TriSec on 05/22/2013 14:14:34
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.


Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 14:18:23
Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 14:18:41
Mornin' all..

Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 14:20:00
Quote by TriSec:
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.



Did they win last night or not? Last I saw it was tied 1-1.

Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 14:20:20
Quote by TriSec:
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.

They seem to be demolishing the Rangers.. and even then I was watching that second game and they were really playing like crap (giving away the puck, playing more in their own end than at neutral ice).

Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 14:21:33
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by TriSec:
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.

Did they win last night or not? Last I saw it was tied 1-1.

Yep they won 2-1, lead the series 3-0.

Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 14:24:42
Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 14:30:24
Quote by Mondobubba:
Here is my question for Rep. Issa; how many of the these Tea Party groups were denied tax exempt status?
Well allow me to help!

A May 14 draft report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that none of the 296 questionable applicants had been denied, “For the 296 potential political cases we reviewed, as of December 17, 2012, 108 applications had been approved, 28 were withdrawn by the applicant, none had been denied, and 160 cases were open from 206 to 1,138 calendar days (some crossing two election cycles).” (p. 14)

(snip)
These are but a few of the many examples of political intervention by Tea Party non-profits that IREHR has catalogued. There are many, many more. They’re not difficult to find. Rather than the so-called scandal cooked up by Tea Party groups, the real criticism of the IRS may be that it has let so many of these groups get away with what are apparently egregious violations.

After the firing of several high level IRS employees over this incident, how likely is it that Tea Party groups will be prevented these sorts of violations in the future?




Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 14:31:14
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by TriSec:
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.

Did they win last night or not? Last I saw it was tied 1-1.

Yep they won 2-1, lead the series 3-0.
F8ckin Rangers...


Comment by TriSec on 05/22/2013 14:36:00
It's Wagner's birthday today!

< FCHP blocks You Tube - phantom link to "What's Opera, Doc?" >

You're welcome.




Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 14:46:22
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Here is my question for Rep. Issa; how many of the these Tea Party groups were denied tax exempt status?
Well allow me to help!

A May 14 draft report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that none of the 296 questionable applicants had been denied, “For the 296 potential political cases we reviewed, as of December 17, 2012, 108 applications had been approved, 28 were withdrawn by the applicant, none had been denied, and 160 cases were open from 206 to 1,138 calendar days (some crossing two election cycles).” (p. 14)

(snip)
These are but a few of the many examples of political intervention by Tea Party non-profits that IREHR has catalogued. There are many, many more. They’re not difficult to find. Rather than the so-called scandal cooked up by Tea Party groups, the real criticism of the IRS may be that it has let so many of these groups get away with what are apparently egregious violations.

After the firing of several high level IRS employees over this incident, how likely is it that Tea Party groups will be prevented these sorts of violations in the future?





That was a slightly rhetorical question on my part. I knew that zero groups had been denied. I didn't know about the ones withdrawn though. Thankee, Raine!

Comment by BobR on 05/22/2013 15:04:53
Quote by Mondobubba:
Here is my question for Rep. Issa; how many of the these Tea Party groups were denied tax exempt status?

Followed by the question: "Why should blatantly political groups be granted tax-exempt status?"

Comment by wickedpam on 05/22/2013 15:25:24
wait, what happened to Steph why is she suddenly in repeat?

Comment by TriSec on 05/22/2013 15:27:03
Ah Doy.

I suppose I don't need a new backpack after all. There is such a thing as replacement buckles. (My hip strap is a mess.)

Durrrrrrrrrrr!



Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 15:32:39
Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 15:44:50
Quote by wickedpam:
wait, what happened to Steph why is she suddenly in repeat?
Strange, not a repeat on Current.
I was just upstairs and they were interviewing David Schuster.


Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 15:47:32
Stephanie Miller Show
We've had some technical difficulties in the studio today so we switched to a repeat for the radio audience. We are still live for the rest of the show on Current TV. Sorry for the inconvenience and we're working on it!


Comment by wickedpam on 05/22/2013 15:50:03
Quote by Raine:
Stephanie Miller Show
We've had some technical difficulties in the studio today so we switched to a repeat for the radio audience. We are still live for the rest of the show on Current TV. Sorry for the inconvenience and we're working on it!


Thanks Obama!


Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 15:52:07
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Stephanie Miller Show
We've had some technical difficulties in the studio today so we switched to a repeat for the radio audience. We are still live for the rest of the show on Current TV. Sorry for the inconvenience and we're working on it!


Thanks Obama!



Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 15:52:45
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Stephanie Miller Show
We've had some technical difficulties in the studio today so we switched to a repeat for the radio audience. We are still live for the rest of the show on Current TV. Sorry for the inconvenience and we're working on it!


Thanks Obama!



SMS-gate?

Comment by trojanrabbit on 05/22/2013 15:55:13
Quote by TriSec:
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.

Given their Yankees-like 3-0 collapse to the Flyers and that their owner is probably at the forefront of the last two lockouts, yes, fuck them.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 05/22/2013 15:56:47
Quote by Mondobubba:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Stephanie Miller Show
We've had some technical difficulties in the studio today so we switched to a repeat for the radio audience. We are still live for the rest of the show on Current TV. Sorry for the inconvenience and we're working on it!


Thanks Obama!



SMS-gate?

It's a Clear Channel conspiracy.

Comment by Mondobubba on 05/22/2013 15:57:39
Fema uses 'Waffle House index' to take stock of Oklahoma tornado disaster

Fugate's Index is a compliment to the restaurant chain, which is often cited along with three other companies – Walmart, Lowe's and The Home Depot – for their planning for natural disasters and the speed with which they rebound.



Who knew that Waffle House had such well developed disaster plan.

Comment by BobR on 05/22/2013 15:58:16
Quote by trojanrabbit:
Quote by TriSec:
I wish I could get excited about Da Broons, but fuck them.

Given their Yankees-like 3-0 collapse to the Flyers and that their owner is probably at the forefront of the last two lockouts, yes, fuck them.

I'm glad they're kicking the tar out of the Rangers, but after that - I may root for whoever is playing them.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 05/22/2013 16:05:51
Hi, bloggers!!

Raine, I think that Darrell Issa shows zero credibility. Yes, I agree that the IRS made a lot of mistakes, but Issa probably looks for scandals involving the Obama administration while gazing into a bowl of minestrone soup.

As for myself, busy job hunting. I have a feeling something will happen soon.

Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 16:08:29
Interesting:
Lerner was appointed as head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division during the Bush administration, in 2006. She served as director the IRS Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements Division for four years before that. A graduate of Boston’s Northeastern University and Western New England College of Law in Springfield, Mass., Lerner began her legal career as a staff attorney in the Department of Justice’s criminal division before joining the Federal Election Commission as an assistant general counsel in 1981. She spent 20 years at the FEC, where she was appointed head of the Enforcement Division in 1986 and then acting general counsel for six months in 2001.


Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 16:19:55
Quote by Raine:
Interesting:
Lerner was appointed as head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division during the Bush administration, in 2006. She served as director the IRS Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements Division for four years before that. A graduate of Boston’s Northeastern University and Western New England College of Law in Springfield, Mass., Lerner began her legal career as a staff attorney in the Department of Justice’s criminal division before joining the Federal Election Commission as an assistant general counsel in 1981. She spent 20 years at the FEC, where she was appointed head of the Enforcement Division in 1986 and then acting general counsel for six months in 2001.

So she was a Reagan AND Dubya appointee?

Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 16:33:32
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
Interesting:
Lerner was appointed as head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division during the Bush administration, in 2006. She served as director the IRS Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements Division for four years before that. A graduate of Boston’s Northeastern University and Western New England College of Law in Springfield, Mass., Lerner began her legal career as a staff attorney in the Department of Justice’s criminal division before joining the Federal Election Commission as an assistant general counsel in 1981. She spent 20 years at the FEC, where she was appointed head of the Enforcement Division in 1986 and then acting general counsel for six months in 2001.

So she was a Reagan AND Dubya appointee?
It appears that way, doesn't it?


Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 16:37:03
Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 16:45:31
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by Raine:
Interesting:
Lerner was appointed as head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division during the Bush administration, in 2006. She served as director the IRS Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements Division for four years before that. A graduate of Boston’s Northeastern University and Western New England College of Law in Springfield, Mass., Lerner began her legal career as a staff attorney in the Department of Justice’s criminal division before joining the Federal Election Commission as an assistant general counsel in 1981. She spent 20 years at the FEC, where she was appointed head of the Enforcement Division in 1986 and then acting general counsel for six months in 2001.

So she was a Reagan AND Dubya appointee?
It appears that way, doesn't it?
She is also the so called whistleblower...

Issa knew about her. I'm telling you, something stinks to high heaven here. The other thing I am trying to find out is whether or not she was put in charge of implementing the ACA -- Obamacare -- a lot of RW sites are sayiing this, and I can't find that to be true. Not even here:

In addition to our regular compliance work in FY 2011,
EO dedicated resources to two significant efforts—
working to resolve FICA refund claims for qualified
medical residents and initiating hospital community
benefit reviews as mandated by the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act (ACA). In spite of these
additional responsibilities, EO continued to maintain a
strong compliance presence, as the chart below
illustrates.
I perused the entire PDF and nowhere do I see that she is in charge of Implementing Obamacare via the IRS. Maybe I am missing something.





Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 16:49:18



On the right they just don;t know how to do this.


Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 16:52:55
Speaking of lemons..


Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 17:04:57
More interesting...
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch said that if witnesses stonewalled the committee there would be legal consequences.

'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.'

'I hope that’s not the approach of the IRS going forward,'he added. 'Because there will be hell to pay.'

Lynch later castigated Douglas Shulman, the former IRS Commissioner who ran the agency while its abuses were going on, for failing to tell Congress the truth about what his agency had already concluded in the investigation that ended in May 2012.

Shulman testified in March 2012, two months earlier that there was 'absolutely' no special targeting of conservative groups going on.

'At no time, to the best of my memory, was I ever given the impression that these [IRS employees] were only [looking closely] at conservative groups' Shulman told Lynch on Wednesday.

'You misled Congress. Make no question about it,” Lynch snapped back.

'You did nothing. You abdicated your responsibility.'
Shulman: Bush Appointee.

You will recall it was Karl Rove who vowed to make sure Tea Party candidates would be challenged.
Karl Rove has founded a new group designed not to beat Democrats, but to destroy a wing of his own coalition: the Tea Party.

The newly-formed Conservative Victory Project, an "offshoot" of Rove's American Crossroads super PAC, is designed to pump big money into local congressional primaries and prevent Tea Party-endorsed candidates from scoring Senate nominations. Tea Party nominees have lost some embarrassing and high-profile Senate races, including Todd Akin in Missouri, Richard Mourdock in Indiana, Sharron Angle in Nevada, and Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.



Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 17:07:59
Quote by Scoopster:
Speaking of lemons..



Comment by livingonli on 05/22/2013 17:27:18
It feels like one of those days with my crappy luck. As for the Rangers, they were struggling all season even though they have the talent it hasn't shown in their playing and with Lundqvist injured, losing their goalie is a major hole in the roster and all we have left is Torts cursing out everyone. I guess it's not going to stop the Penguins from taking the east

Comment by Scoopster on 05/22/2013 17:29:44
Quote by livingonli:
It feels like one of those days with my crappy luck. As for the Rangers, they were struggling all season even though they have the talent it hasn't shown in their playing and with Lundqvist injured, losing their goalie is a major hole in the roster and all we have left is Torts cursing out everyone. I guess it's not going to stop the Penguins from taking the east

I don't think it matters who takes the Eastern Conference this year.. Chicago's team is a buzzsaw!

Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 17:57:01
Quote by Scoopster:
Quote by livingonli:
It feels like one of those days with my crappy luck. As for the Rangers, they were struggling all season even though they have the talent it hasn't shown in their playing and with Lundqvist injured, losing their goalie is a major hole in the roster and all we have left is Torts cursing out everyone. I guess it's not going to stop the Penguins from taking the east

I don't think it matters who takes the Eastern Conference this year.. Chicago's team is a buzzsaw!
That's who my Brother in law thinks is gonna win the cup as well.




Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 18:04:52
Whatever happened to bath salts?

Comment by wickedpam on 05/22/2013 18:15:21
Quote by Raine:
Whatever happened to bath salts?


its not as sexy as DC "scandals"


Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 18:37:24
I cannot believe the video I just saw on CNN.

Evidently there was a terrorist attack on London. They just showed the suspect, bloodied hands holding a knife and a meat cleaver telling this to the media.

My god. They panned to the body in the street. It was a british soldier.

Comment by Raine on 05/22/2013 18:38:33
Quote by Raine:
I cannot believe the video I just saw on CNN.

Evidently there was a terrorist attack on London. They just showed the suspect, bloodied hands holding a knife and a meat cleaver telling this to the media.

My god. They panned to the body in the street. It was a british soldier.
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