Give IRS Officials a Week, then Cite them for Contempt and Perp Walk them in Handcuffs to Prison
The claim is that the IRS targeted conservative groups because they oppose this present administration’s policies.
It’s been alleged that orders for this harassment came from the highest levels of government, possibly from the Obama administration.
The problem is, all of these charges are hard to prove.
Former IRS employee Lois G. Lerner won’t talk. She’s taken the Fifth Amendment.
The credibility of the IRS has always been low, mostly because people fear the organization, and rightfully so. It’s a huge agency with lots of power.
Even if a person or business comes through an audit without any problems, the time and money expended can be devastating.
But purposely targeted people and groups for political reasons is a non-partisan issue since political power and leadership changes in Washington. Your guys and gals may be in power now, but before long it could be the other party’s guys and gals who are targeting the other side of the aisle.
“The American people believe the IRS is now a politicized agency, because the IRS is a politicized agency,” said Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Here’s the latest on the scandal.
“John Koskinen, the man President Obama tapped to clean up the embattled agency, also said it will take years to respond to all of the document requests from Congress. He told Congress that even complying with a subpoena for emails from just a handful of key employees couldn’t be done before the end of this year because it takes time to have attorneys delete protected taxpayer information.”
“Years”? Give me a break.
If an IRS scandal like this had happened under a Republican President, the emails would be all over the news. Harry Reid would be waving them in our faces. Democrats would be calling for impeachment. A Special Prosecutor would have already been named. It would be Watergate to the tenth power.
How long could it take to redact some emails? The Obamas go on multi-million dollar vacations. Make them pay their own way and use the money saved to hire people to do the redacting. I’ll do it for $100,000 and have it done in two days.
Koskinen is a long-time Democrat supporter.
“Since the beginning of 2007, Koskinen has donated $25,600 to Democratic candidates and causes, including $7,300 to Obama and $3,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to Federal Election Commission records.”
Here’s what Rep. Issa should tell Mr. Koskinen:
“If these emails aren’t on my desk in ten days, I will cite you with contempt and perp walk you in handcuffs to jail until your staff complies.”
All the Republicans seem to be able to do is issue threats.
“We don’t want the excuses anymore. Prioritize them. Put more lawyers on the job,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who has helped spearhead the committee’s investigation into IRS targeting.
And what will you do if Mr. Koskinen won’t comply? All we keep hearing is that Lois Lerner “remains subject to contempt of Congress charges after refusing to testify at two hearings, citing her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.”
Cite her for contempt already!
The Democrats will stall at least until the 2014 election is over, and may even push it beyond 2016, and the Republicans will still be issuing idle threats.