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 [6], 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 [7] below suggests, this is fascism on the part of the IRS and White House...
Via Doug Ross of Director Blue blog [7],
Reading this timeline, I have come to three conclusions:
[8]
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 [8].
Via The Wall Street Journal [6],
The Internal Revenue Service's watchdog told top Treasury officials around June 2012 he was investigating allegations the tax agency had targeted conservative groups...
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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.
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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.
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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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