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What Did Obama Know About The IRS (And When)?
Amid the sound and fury of yesterday's IRS hearing were a few small tidbits which raise significant questions about who knew what and when within the Obama administration. While getting the answer (the real honest truth) is highly unlikely, as the Wall Street Journal notes, the IRS's watchdog told top Treasury officials around June 2012 (when Republican lawmakers were complaining publicly about alleged IRS targeting of tea-party groups) he was investigating allegations the tax agency had targeted conservative groups, for the first time indicating that Obama administration officials were aware of the explosive matter in the midst of the president's re-election campaign. The revelation nonetheless raised a fresh set of questions about who was aware of the problem within the Obama administration. However, the hearing left numerous other fundamental questions unanswered, including who ordered the targeting and why it continued so long, pointing to a protracted investigation ahead as Rep. Paul Ryan exclaimed, "how can we not conclude that you misled this committee?" As Doug Ross' full timeline below suggests, this is fascism on the part of the IRS and White House...
Via Doug Ross of Director Blue blog,
Reading this timeline, I have come to three conclusions:
1. Steve Miller lied to Congress
2. Lois Lerner lied to Congress
3. Barack Obama lied to the American peopleThis scandal has the fingerprints of Axelrod, Jarrett and/or the Chicago Machine all over it.
This is fascism on the part of the IRS and the White House. It is fascism, straight up.
Or, as I call the IRS: Organizing for Revenue.
The Internal Revenue Service's watchdog told top Treasury officials around June 2012 he was investigating allegations the tax agency had targeted conservative groups...
...
The revelation nonetheless raised a fresh set of questions about who was aware of the problem within the Obama administration.
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the agency had taken "absolutely inappropriate" actions in targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status for often heavy-handed scrutiny.
...
The hearing left numerous other fundamental questions unanswered, however, including who ordered the targeting and why it continued so long, pointing to a protracted investigation ahead. Mr. Miller conceded the agency likely disciplined the wrong employee in one effort to address the problem.
...
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.), "I think the most interesting revelation was the overall arrogance of the IRS and the lack of information from somebody who was in charge,"
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White House officials say they learned about the targeting of conservative groups from the report, and not before. President Barack Obama on Thursday said, "I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG report before the IG report had been leaked through the press."
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At the hearing, lawmakers of both parties expressed anger that IRS officials didn't reveal the problems to them in 2012.
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then-commissioner Douglas Shulman about that in March 2012. He testified before the Ways and Means committee then that there was "absolutely no targeting,"...
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"Throughout this time, the IRS leadership has demonstrated a total disregard for the oversight role of the Congress and this committee," said Rep. Sander Levin
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"How was that not misleading this committee?" said Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) to Mr. Miller. "How can we not conclude that you misled this committee?"
...
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FYI: We are not harmless sheeple, who let themselves get distracted by some measly "professional operatives", we are at least equally professional. As I already mentioned in another answer to your comment, you don't need to worry. We will pull them trolls to pieces, as we've always done. We are well aware of what you try to warn us about. Relax ...
puh leeze, democrat/nazis only persuade other idiots and retards
6 downvotes = 6 FedGov shills who don't want me around.
Attacking this post by constant down voting speaks for itself.
Obvious is obvious.
ZH is being targeted by FedGov spambots & human operatives saturating the comment sections with garbage and disinformation in addition to down voting certain posters.
They are not harmless trolls, they are professional operatives attempting to undermine and discredit ZH.
You're right about one thing Obvious is Obvious.
http://www.zerohedge.com/search/user_comments?name=CutOut
spambot, shill, troll, garbage all come to mind, professional operative, not so much.
That's pretty funny. He's been here less than 3 months and he is "sounding the alarm"? LOL...
Pretty sure that's common knowledge.
That's why you can't believe anything or any one, i don't even read the name of the poster until after i read the comment, because it creates innate biases to "know" who you're "talking to", and people can be replaced at anytime essentially.
Ideas stand or fall on their own, it barely matters who says them.
Not to say that i don't hold certain respect or otherwise for those who hold constant patterns of belief and observation.. But still.
Re What Did Obama Know...
I honestly don't think Obama knows anything about anything.
The guy's a cipher; an empty suit; a ventriloquist's dummy; a marionette; a will-o'-the-wisp; a hologram projected in front of a teleprompter.
There's no substance there... no-one's home.
It's all misdirection - smoke and mirrors.
You've been had.
"We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men.
...."
Etc. Etc.
A penny for the Old Guy, he said. Absolutely right.
....besides, they only went after THEM. end the blue state facist model of slavery
I saw Boehner step up to a mike the other day and say, " I want to know who is going to jail for this". I laffed my ass off. What I want to know is when is He going to jail. Politicians crack me the fuck up. Maybe if he had cried a little bit I would have taken him more seriously.
The burning issue on this (and also on the AP journalists' records seizure come to that) is whether it is conceivable that Obama did not know about these activities.
If he *did* know, then he's in deep doo-doo.
If he *did not* know, then legitimate questions need to be asked about his level of competent control of his crony Administration.
And this is a surprise? Get it through your heads. THERE IS NO "Unitied States", or "constitution" or "law" (for the political and Banker class). It has been Usurped by a British subject who is not a natural born Citizen (since he was born British, of a British subject father, no matter if he was bithed on the Oval Office desk, and JFK delivered him in the presence of the Chief Justice, and a big star was overhead, and 3 wise men visited).
US Law and SCOTUS precedent meaning of the term "natural born Citizen":
"The Constitution does not in words say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners." Minor v. Happersett, 88 US 162, 167
There you have it in plain English, right before your eyes. ALL of Congress knows he is not eligible, and they hide their treason with the help of a compliant useful idiot media. No doubt I will be down voted by some despite plain words before the eyes. Now Ted Cruz is being set up as the the reason that Obama is "eligible" (Cruz is not eligible), since he, like Obama, was born to a foreign father (they say his father was "from Cuba", rather than correctly stating that his father was not a US Citizen), and a US Citizen mother (although in Canada--- is that being set up as the excuse for the revelation that Obama is born in Kenya? hmmm). The media is now tripping over themselves to say that Cruz is eligible, which shows that BOTH SIDES of the aisle are committing Treason, and they all know that Obama is not eligible.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/15/chatter-about-cruz-presidenti...
If the President is the "executor" of the laws, and he is not a legal entity the there is no law. The "law" is only what evil men say it is. There is an Obama "SCUFFING" false flag event coming to wash away all this "scandal talk", complete with martial crackdown and suspension of rights. It will be a "right wing nutjob, Christian, former military" that gets the blame.
"There is an Obama "SCUFFING" false flag event coming to wash away all this "scandal talk", complete with martial crackdown and suspension of rights. It will be a "right wing nutjob, Christian, former military" that gets the blame."
I don't doubt this at all.
...but... I thought Timothy McVeigh was dead!
I have not seen the details about Ted Cruz, but same or similar story about Marco Rubio, another supposed Republican contender for 2016, but Rubio is evidently a NWO CFR Establishment puppet and traitor.
Nazi in the White House.
Oh wait, National Socialist in the White House.
Life boats anyone? http://shutupnsing.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/the-titanic-value-of-oath-keepers/
This control freak KNEW day-one of the IRS plans because that is when he sat down with Axelfart and the rest of his Chicago Style political master planners and Impunity Organizers and made a plan to shut down disent, namely by attacking conservatives and even non-liberal ordinary citizens. Recall their interest in shutting down conservative talk radio. Drunk with power, they have little regard for freedom and tradition, but rather possess insatiable and fanatical interest in power and control. This is the scariest bunch of people to ever be given control of our Federal Government. This President and his den of theives have unleased such deep politial pollution that it permeates the entire Federal system, including our courts. It's toxic and I fear that we'll never be able to clean this mess up. it's been said that Socialism is the gateway to Tyranny. Unchecked, these socialist mad men will eventually disarm the citizenry, confiscate our wealth and usurp our Constitutional rights. The founding fathers warned that America's demise would happen from within. Behold.
Obama probably won't remember what he knew or when, depending on what your definition of knew when, was.
"Who's on first?"
What better way to throw a grenade into the franchise than to have the IRS lose its legitimacy in the eyes of the last of the tax payers? Cloward and Piven must be doing a happy dance in hell right now.
Mitt Romney refused to release his tax returns and his campaign was over in September after the 47% remark. There was nothing Sheldon Adelson, 100 million dollars plus, or Rush Limbaugh and Karl Rove could do to fix it.
How many Republican problems today stem from Rush and Karl Rove having high school diplomas only?
Ever post w/o lying and namecalling?
What HASN'T the Obowel Movement lied about?
Lying cowards like yourself never answer!!!!
lol@LyingCOWARDS!
Strassel in WSJ notes public comments by Senators and Obama about these untrustworthy organizations put obvious targets on backs.
Steve Miller looks like Andy Samberg in a bad wig.
What HASN'T the Obowel Movement lied about?
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah
Mick & Keith
We can, and should be outraged by what Obama has done, but:
It will only get worse.
I suspect we're right on script. Obama is action, and now the pressure for reaction has built to the appropriate level. It is time for Obama to be taken down. The synthesis that results from his fall will be a right-wing dictatorship that will make us all pine for the halcyon days of Obama's reign.
Still, it will be entertaining to watch this sodomite fuck-up go down. Did he reallly think he was something more than a pawn in the Hegelian dialectic? Didn't he read "Darkness at Noon" or the Bible?
Of fucking course not. The man is the worst kind of fool, one who thinks it "can't happen to him."
I think Obama's going down. Before this is all over, we'll "discover" that in fact he IS an illegal alien, that he did lie about the birth certifiacte and the social security number, etc, that he DID know about Fast and Furious, that he is in fact a sodomite, that his connections to Bill Ayers, et al run deeper and darker than anyone ever imagined, that his Illinios background will prove to be a mother lode of scandal, etc, etc.
Obama will be the first black president, and also the first president to be impeached AND imprisoned. No worries about Joe Biden- he's going doen too. We will see a Constitutional crisis that will precipitate a Constitutional convention. Out of the ashes will arise a "savior" who will make Obama look like Mr. Rogers.
We're all fucked.
Good article, but this discovery is only low hanging fruit. Benghazi facts being fleshed out now is the true emergence crisis of this Administration right now.
Everything else in my opinion is a distraction to the real story that hss teeth. If the true facts come to surface about what REALLY happened in Benghazi which I'm not pinning my hopes on just this second, it will destroy the 12 year war on terror narrative and expose it to be manufactured and farcical to the world.
In the off chance someone up on the Hill actually does their job. Heads will roll and about 8 arrest warrants will be served by the US Marshal service and 1 Barry Soetoro will have a change of address for along time. I can dream can't I?
He probably knew about it from the moment Valerie Jarrett told him what was going to happen.
Obama's behavior reminds me of a Catholic Bishop who led a huge public campaign against homosexuality and then was discovered to be a practicing homosexual himself. The campaing was just camoflage to hide his involvement. Obama's feigned indignation smells like he's just trying to camoflage his involvement.
The big story this morning is O-scammer's approval rating is still at 53%, "despite scandals"!
Well, I may be risking a banned account given the tendency of certain facts to be described as adjectives, but I think the following matters, and I reject, entirely, the notion that it is not fair to discuss, or that the desire to discuss it is motivated by ‘hate’ versus self-interest.
Wikipedia has a page listing: “Financial regulatory authorities of the United States” It is woefully incomplete, but lists 11 agencies. Okay, of these, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve System, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and National Credit Union Administration are headed by a Jewish man or woman. I don’t know if Ketchum from FINRA is, and the reprehensible Mary Jo White of the SEC is not Jewish but the prior two SEC heads were.
Of course, the wikipedia link leaves out departments under the Treasury, which includes the IRS. The current acting commissioner of the IRS, Daniel Werfel, is Jewish. The acting commissioner before him, Steven T. Miller, probably is (parenthetically, there’s a shitty comedian with the same name who bills himself as “The Funny Jew” which takes some chutzpah given the millions of funnier Jewish comics), and the guy mentioned in the article, Doug Shulman, is Jewish. That’s 3 in a row. Jews are about 2.5% of the population.
As to the Treasury department, lifelong insider and part of the problem Jack Lew is the Jewish head of the agency. The Deputy Secretary {there’s only one} is Jewish. There are 3 Under Secretaries of the Treasury. The one for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence is Jewish. Mary Miller, UnderSEc for Domestic Finance may or may not be Jewish – but the two before her were. Some websites assert she’s Jewish, and it seems likely but I’m not confident enough to simply list her as such. However, the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, Lael Brainard, is Jewish.
So – in treasury, you have the Secretary, the Deputy, and at least 2, possibly all 3 of the UnderSecs being Jewish. . Jews are about 2.5% of the population. Oddly enough the ‘Treasurer of the United States’ seems to have become a position locked down by Latinas.
Now, if you look into Executive Office departments, you find that the heads of the Council of Economic Advisers, and National Economic Council are Jews. The current head of the Office of Management and Budget isn’t Jewish, but the last three were. You’ll find a disproportionate amount of Jewish names for prior heads of the other two. The only remaining EO department, the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board is headed by Jeff Immelt who is not Jewish.
As to the independent, so called, offices, why, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve System are all led by Jewish guys. Strangely, the Federal Trade Commission is not, although the last head was Jewish, and possibly the one before. The SEC was noted above. This is basically all the independent agencies. The Jewishness of the Fed/FOMC/Regional Presidents is perhaps the most striking – as we know, it is not actually part of the government.
So why do I take the time to list all this {apart from being a mouth breathing Jew hater, of course}.
It is to illustrate a breath-taking, easily verifiable, but never openly discussed aspect of our government and it’s financial/banking regulatory apparatus. Like the Bolsheviks were largely, even mostly Jewish but this is “scrubbed” and called “anti-Semitic” , like the neocons were, Jews absolutely dominate the US government’s agencies and departments that have anything to do with money.
This is important. One need not call for pogroms or mass purges to demand the right to talk about it.
I think it’s important for its own sake, having grown up with liberals whining about “diversity” – but diversity should mean that massive, massive over-representation on this scale is effectively boxing out minorities and non-Jewish whites, no?
Why I think it’s especially important is to what extent these people may have dual or primary loyalty to Israel, and/or may be working in one way or another for the Israel Lobby or Netanyahu. No, Jews aren’t automatically suspect, but let’s be honest – the neocons were largely Jewish, and many spent a lot of ink discussing Israel.
This control matters not only as to why banks aren’t being prosecuted, but may have to do with ‘leaks’ and other pressures on this or the next president to attack Syria or Iran – essentially for Israel.
By the way, if you look at Congressional staffers, or the State department, the notion of a “Zionist Occupation Government” doesn’t seem like David Dukean dookie so much as something that, however overstated, really basically is the case.
Now, all I’ve written here are facts, and reasonable inferences derived therefrom. We’ll see if this is labeled as “hate.”
NOTE THE DATE ASSHOLES: Oh and by the way I am an individaul not a group. Try that one on for size!
November 9, 2012
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
P.O. Box 589
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044-0589
To Whom It May Concern:
I am an american taxpayer that has been first ignored then threatened, and then intimidated by your organization. You people owe me money, a lot. I am about at my breaking point. Nobody is this stupid so per your site I am filing a claim of fraud and abuse by your employees. This situation has gotten so far out of hand that you people actually sent two armed federal agents to my door in yet another feckless attempt to intimidate me. It didn’t work. All I asked for was an address of some of the numerous people in that organization so we could have a face-to-face meeting and I get federal agents. Did I swear and name call; yes. Was it a threat; no. Nice try though.
After being lied to by those federal agents who said they would “walk over the information” to something called a taxpayer advocate I have been waiting patiently. (It should be noted that given this 5 year battle with your organization the only thing that is absolutely clear is that it is you that needs the tax advocate not me.) One of the last missives I sent to your fine, fine organization is attached as Exhibit A. This was probably the 40+ communication with your idiots.
I laid out exactly what the issue is and the answers to the issues. Numerous times. There has never, ever been one time that the EXPENSIVE research that I have had to undertake to inform YOUR employees of the regulations they are to enforce has been addressed. What did I get in return? A letter from a Ms. Jacquelyne Yarbrough (REGARDING JUST THE 2009 RETURN!!!) stating and I quote;
“Due to a heavy workload, we have not yet completed our research to resolve your inquiry.” N.B. We are now ending the year 2012.
1. It was not an inquiry it was my 40th responsive missive trying to explain the errors of your ways.
2. This is incredibly bad precedent in that I responded that I would be busy for the next 10 years so I would hope that the IRS would be as patient as me as I won’t be filing taxes anymore. See Exhibit B. Don’t worry though when I do decide to file (which will be after you stop harassing me about tax years 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 – I presume there was an oversight on your staff’s part and something for 2007 MUST be on its way!!!) you owe me about $40K for 2011 alone. But since you guys have such a “heavy work load” and have not completed the aforementioned years I figured why add to the workload you can’t handle now.
3. How the FUCK do you send out seizure notices for money that is a) not due to you and b) hasn’t been researched?
And quite surprisingly I then get more missives from your organization demanding more money for tax years 2006 and 2008 FROM ONE OF MY LLCs that of course were filed and part of my individual return and tax liability. This is not a rhetorical question; How is it that you send out demands for more money, I respond (notably that the forms have been filed and that you assholes owe me money AGAIN!!!!) and then per Exhibits C & D your fine, fine organization “we haven’t completed all the research necessary for a complete response.”, two times on the same matter. One (obviously not you folks) would think that the sending out of a demand for money, albeit from matters six years ago (just under the seven year wire I note) would be the final step. Was the research not done before the demand was made? Again that was not rhetorical.
I am claiming fraud, intimidation and abuse of governmental position on the following individuals:
IRS employee # 1764294
IRS employee Ms. Lundford ID # 1000486565
IRS employee Ms. Freeman ID # 1000143553
IRS employee Ms. Michele Woolsey, Operations Manager, AUR Ogden UT
IRS employee Retha Zulager, Department Manager ACS Support Cincinnati OH
IRS employee Maureen Green, Operations Manager, AUR Ogden UT
IRS employee Lisa Bellamy, Operations Manager, Collection Ogden UT
IRS employee Sharon Davies Accounts Management I Ogden UT
When looked at in totality (aside from this little issue of sovereign immunity) these actions, if not sanctioned by my wonderful government, would be filed under a RICCO claim as well.
I have also enclosed a number of missives I have sent to you people with no response from your people or the organization other than threats to seize my property. I must tell you that when I did post looking for address information of certain individuals that led to the arrival of federal agents it was the time you guys stopped threatening me. Is that how you want me to behave in the future? Do I need to go to that extent just for your staff to do its job? Neither of those were a rhetorical questions.
Do something and do something now. I want my money and I want damages. This is no way to run a country.
Michael R. Berry
adress removed - author
(you can ask those federal agents for directions if you would like to sit and chat)
Phone # removed - author
P.S. TIGTA promotes the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of the internal revenue laws. It is also committed to the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, and abuse within the IRS and related entities. Yeah right.
Allegations of violations that impact the integrity of Federal tax administration and IRS programs. This includes allegations of misconduct by IRS employees. Yeah right.
Examples of specific allegations that should be reported include, but are not limited to: attempts by taxpayers to bribe IRS personnel; extortion or misuse of position by IRS personnel; assaults and/or threats by taxpayers against IRS employees; schemes involving the use of computer technology or mail that impersonate the IRS or IRS personnel; misconduct by tax practitioners (falsification of qualifications, theft of IRS tax remittances and theft of IRS tax refunds). Yeah right.
The Agency The IRS is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury and one of the world's most efficient tax administrators. In fiscal year 2010, the IRS collected more than $2.3 trillion in revenue and processed more than 230 million tax returns. Now that is just fucking hilarious. A complete and total lie but funny nonetheless.
The IRS Mission
Provide America's taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.
I am officially requesting “quality service” having your employees “understand” what they are to administer and most importantly I want “integrity and fairness”. I will wait. I expect none of them.
There is part of the Karken somone asked for. Next up: anumber of Biven's Actions.
Tax his land, tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow, tax his goat,
Tax his pants, tax his coat.
Tax his ties, tax his shirts,
Tax his work, tax his dirt.
Tax his chew, tax his smoke,
Teach him taxes are no joke.
Tax his car, tax his grass,
Tax the roads he must pass.
Tax his food, tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his sodas, tax his beers,
If he cries, tax his tears.
Tax his bills, tax his gas,
Tax his notes, tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom!"
And when he's gone, we won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance tax.
Author Unknown
Forget being pissed and fearful of the Democrats & Republicans and their agendas.
Be very afraid of the IRS.
I don't do fear.
Cincinnati ? Washington DC? IRS? Jack Lew is going to oversee this? Turbo Tax Timmy on steriods...
Ugland house Cayman islands.....http://billmoyers.com/2013/03/08/jack-lew-citigroup-and-the-ugland-truth/
http://www.icij.org/offshore/secret-files-expose-offshores-global-impact
And another wrinkle in the IRS story the media is not reporting for obvious reasons.
http://www.redstate.com/2013/05/16/meet-the-partisan-union-behind-the-pa...
As the scandal involving the IRS’ targeting of Conservatives and Tea Party groups consumes the news cycle for the moment and Barack Obama (who, so far, has claimed ignorance of the targeting) has thrown a sacrificial lamb out to appease journalists, that IRS agents targeted certain small-government, anti-tax groups should really not come as a surprise.
Beginning in 2009, Democrats and unions, including government unions, have spent the last several years demonizing Tea Party groups as well as other small government groups.
On Thursday, despite the escalating scandal, Barack Obama told reporters that he did not see the need for a special prosecutor, saying “probes by Congress and the Justice Department should be able to figure out who was responsible for improperly targeting tea party groups when they applied for tax-exempt status.”
While that may appease reporters from CNN and the mainstream media for the moment, one must wonder why there shouldn’t be a special prosecutor to look into the wrongdoings of an agency with such vast powers over the American populace. Unless, of course, there is a smoking gun that people within the administration don’t want discovered.
The IRS & Executive Order 13522In December 2009, during the first term of his presidency, in an effort to make the federal government more “union friendly,” President Obama issued Executive Order 13522.
In short, as noted in 2011, Executive Order 13522 establishes “labor-management forums” between union bosses (who may or may not be federal employees) and federal agency management.
As part of the directives under Executive Order 13522, agency heads are to engage union bosses in “pre-decisional discussions” before decisions are made–and those discussions are to be in secret and outside the purview of the Freedom of Information Act.
Coincidentally, among the agencies covered by Executive Order 13522 is the Internal Revenue Service, which is part of the Department of the Treasury, and whose agency employees are represented by the National Treasury Employees Union.
The fact that, under Executive Order 13522, federal agencies are being co-managed by union bosses and it appears that the perpetrators of the IRS scandal are likely to be members of the IRS union makes one wonder how coordinated the attacks were–especially as four of the alleged perpetrators are claiming their bosses made them do it.
More importantly, if their bosses made them engage in potentially illegal activities, why didn’t they go to their union to file a grievance?
The IRS Agents’ UnionThe National Treasury Employees Union (or NTEU) is a government union that represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments, including those tax collectors at the Internal Revenue Service.
According to its most recent filings with the Department of Labor, NTEU has 82,500 dues-paying members–paying between $204 and $499 per year in union dues and is headed by former IRS employee, Colleen Kelley, who, as union boss, raked in $278,127 last year.
In 2012, NTEU took in $57.6 million in dues, fees, as well as investment income. However, it spent $61.6 million.
While it is an “independent” union–which means it is not affiliated with the AFL-CIO–NTEU is, nevertheless, a partisan union and, although it cannot use union dues for politics, NTEU does have an active Political Action Committee.
Most tellingly, upon Barack Obama’s re-election, NTEU sent out the following press release:
According to OpenSecrets.org, of the $571,812 given to House and Senate campaigns by NTEU’s PAC, a mere $24,000 went to Republican candidates.
No Need For Special Prosecutor?That Barack Obama, his fellow Democrats and their union boss allies have demonized Conservatives and the Tea Party (in general) is not new. It’s been occurring since 2009 and has been especially vociferous since the 2010 mid-term elections.
However, given the quickness that Barack Obama stated there is no need for a special prosecutor in light of the IRS scandal–especially given the extent of known coordination that goes on between the White House and union bosses on messaging and election-year tactics–makes one wonder if there is more to the controversy than a few “rogue” IRS workers.
In fact, it seems that, given the power that an agency like the IRS has, as well as the extent of power union bosses have been given witinh federal agencies under Executive Order 13522, there is more need than ever to have a special prosecutor look for the root of the scandal.
Despite the fact that the President feels there is no need for a special prosecutor, as the IRS scandal continues to escalate, more questions will be raised than will be answered by Eric Holder’s Justice Department or through a Congressional inquiry.
The questions that should be asked and answered do not stop with the convenient scapegoating of one already-leaving agency head, and a few “rogue” employees.
It will take a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of it.
For the legal buffs the full Executive Order 13522
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-12-14/pdf/E9-29781.pdf
Another good article.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142412788732476700457848733263618080...