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"Fired" IRS chief [Who was leaving in June 2013 anyway] declines to identify employees involved in scandal
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Leroy N. Soetoro
May 18, 2013, 7:23:51 PM5/18/13
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/17/us-usa-irs-idUSBRE94F10Y20130517
(Reuters) - The outgoing head of the Internal Revenue Service provided
little help on Friday to lawmakers investigating who at the tax-collection
agency was responsible for targeting conservative groups for extra
scrutiny.
As Congress kicked off the first of several investigations into a scandal
that has put President Barack Obama on the defensive, acting IRS
Commissioner Steven Miller said he could not say who had come up with the
idea to single out conservative groups for intense scrutiny when they
applied for tax-exempt status.
"I don't have names for you," Miller told the House of Representatives
Ways and Means Committee.
Miller, who was ousted by Obama on Wednesday and will leave his post by
June, apologized for the IRS's actions. But his appearance was unlikely to
satisfy Republicans who have accused the Democratic administration of
targeting political foes - even though a Treasury Department review found
no evidence of that in the IRS scandal, and said that poor management was
to blame.
Miller denied that IRS agents targeted conservative groups based on
ideology. He added that he had not misled Congress even though he had not
notified lawmakers when he learned in May 2012 about the agency's
"inappropriate" conduct in reviewing conservative groups' applications for
tax-exempt status.
Without identifying lower-level IRS employees involved, Miller initially
said that one employee had been disciplined because of the scandal, then
later said two had been disciplined.
He asked budget-cutting Republicans to give his agency more funds to beef
up tax enforcement at the IRS, suggesting that the agency's difficulty in
handling waves of applications by tax-exempt groups had been a factor in
grouping conservative organizations for review.
Miller sometimes seemed defiant, as he grimaced and threw up his hands
while answering questions.
At one point, Miller said he did not think the IRS had broken any laws
when it drew up its targeting list - a response that elicited "wow" from
Republicans on the committee.
The scandal has angered lawmakers in both parties, but Miller's appearance
appeared to further inflame Republicans who see it as a symptom of a
federal government that has grown too large and is overly intrusive into
Americans' lives.
"Is this still America?" Republican Representative Kevin Brady of Texas
asked.
'FOOLISH MISTAKES WERE MADE'
Tea Party groups investigated by the agency say they were asked to provide
social-media posts and lists of books they read. The questioning in some
cases took nearly three years, preventing some groups from participating
in the 2010 and 2012 elections.
"I think what happened here is that foolish mistakes were made by people
trying to be more efficient," Miller said.
The Treasury watchdog's report released this week did not identify
individuals in the IRS's Washington headquarters or its Cincinnati field
office who were responsible for coming up with the criteria used to single
out conservative groups.
Republicans have vowed to find out who was involved, but Miller did not
provide much of a road map.
In one particularly combative exchange, Miller said he had asked IRS
senior technical adviser Nancy Marks which agency employees were behind
the targeting, but he said he did not remember whom Marks identified as a
responsible party.
Republicans accused him of dodging their questions.
"I'm hearing, 'I don't know, I don't remember, I don't recall, I don't
believe,' " said Representative Dave Reichert of Washington. "You don't
even know who investigated the case, but yet you say it was investigated."
AN EXPLOSION OF ADVOCACY GROUPS
The IRS has seen the number of groups applying for 501(c)4 status double
in the wake of a January 2010 Supreme Court decision that loosened
campaign-finance rules at a time when it has struggled to monitor existing
tax-exempt groups.
That status allows groups to keep their donor lists secret while engaging
in limited political activity. Political campaigns, by contrast, must make
their donors lists public.
Several Democrats on the committee said the IRS needed to take a hard look
at those applications to ensure that political groups do not exploit the
tax code to shroud political activities in secrecy.
Miller said the IRS needs clearer guidance and more examiners to process
the applications in a fair and timely manner.
The top Democrat on the committee, Representative Sander Levin of
Michigan, warned Republicans not to turn the investigation into a partisan
witch hunt. Levin said, however, that the IRS official who made the
scandal public last week, Lois Lerner, should be fired for misleading
Congress because she did not inform lawmakers about the problem sooner.
"That is wholly unacceptable, and one of the reasons we believe Ms. Lerner
should be relieved of her duty," Levin said.
Two other congressional committees will hold IRS hearings next week. One
of those panels, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,
plans to question five lower-level IRS employees over whether they played
a role in the targeting of conservative groups.
--
Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United
States of America.
Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still
has his job.
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed
felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.
Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then
relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder
in order to cover up his own ineptness.
Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases
insurance premiums 200% and leaves millions without health care.
Obama helped bankrupt Illinois. Democrat run Chicago closes 54 public
schools.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
(Reuters) - The outgoing head of the Internal Revenue Service provided
little help on Friday to lawmakers investigating who at the tax-collection
agency was responsible for targeting conservative groups for extra
scrutiny.
As Congress kicked off the first of several investigations into a scandal
that has put President Barack Obama on the defensive, acting IRS
Commissioner Steven Miller said he could not say who had come up with the
idea to single out conservative groups for intense scrutiny when they
applied for tax-exempt status.
"I don't have names for you," Miller told the House of Representatives
Ways and Means Committee.
Miller, who was ousted by Obama on Wednesday and will leave his post by
June, apologized for the IRS's actions. But his appearance was unlikely to
satisfy Republicans who have accused the Democratic administration of
targeting political foes - even though a Treasury Department review found
no evidence of that in the IRS scandal, and said that poor management was
to blame.
Miller denied that IRS agents targeted conservative groups based on
ideology. He added that he had not misled Congress even though he had not
notified lawmakers when he learned in May 2012 about the agency's
"inappropriate" conduct in reviewing conservative groups' applications for
tax-exempt status.
Without identifying lower-level IRS employees involved, Miller initially
said that one employee had been disciplined because of the scandal, then
later said two had been disciplined.
He asked budget-cutting Republicans to give his agency more funds to beef
up tax enforcement at the IRS, suggesting that the agency's difficulty in
handling waves of applications by tax-exempt groups had been a factor in
grouping conservative organizations for review.
Miller sometimes seemed defiant, as he grimaced and threw up his hands
while answering questions.
At one point, Miller said he did not think the IRS had broken any laws
when it drew up its targeting list - a response that elicited "wow" from
Republicans on the committee.
The scandal has angered lawmakers in both parties, but Miller's appearance
appeared to further inflame Republicans who see it as a symptom of a
federal government that has grown too large and is overly intrusive into
Americans' lives.
"Is this still America?" Republican Representative Kevin Brady of Texas
asked.
'FOOLISH MISTAKES WERE MADE'
Tea Party groups investigated by the agency say they were asked to provide
social-media posts and lists of books they read. The questioning in some
cases took nearly three years, preventing some groups from participating
in the 2010 and 2012 elections.
"I think what happened here is that foolish mistakes were made by people
trying to be more efficient," Miller said.
The Treasury watchdog's report released this week did not identify
individuals in the IRS's Washington headquarters or its Cincinnati field
office who were responsible for coming up with the criteria used to single
out conservative groups.
Republicans have vowed to find out who was involved, but Miller did not
provide much of a road map.
In one particularly combative exchange, Miller said he had asked IRS
senior technical adviser Nancy Marks which agency employees were behind
the targeting, but he said he did not remember whom Marks identified as a
responsible party.
Republicans accused him of dodging their questions.
"I'm hearing, 'I don't know, I don't remember, I don't recall, I don't
believe,' " said Representative Dave Reichert of Washington. "You don't
even know who investigated the case, but yet you say it was investigated."
AN EXPLOSION OF ADVOCACY GROUPS
The IRS has seen the number of groups applying for 501(c)4 status double
in the wake of a January 2010 Supreme Court decision that loosened
campaign-finance rules at a time when it has struggled to monitor existing
tax-exempt groups.
That status allows groups to keep their donor lists secret while engaging
in limited political activity. Political campaigns, by contrast, must make
their donors lists public.
Several Democrats on the committee said the IRS needed to take a hard look
at those applications to ensure that political groups do not exploit the
tax code to shroud political activities in secrecy.
Miller said the IRS needs clearer guidance and more examiners to process
the applications in a fair and timely manner.
The top Democrat on the committee, Representative Sander Levin of
Michigan, warned Republicans not to turn the investigation into a partisan
witch hunt. Levin said, however, that the IRS official who made the
scandal public last week, Lois Lerner, should be fired for misleading
Congress because she did not inform lawmakers about the problem sooner.
"That is wholly unacceptable, and one of the reasons we believe Ms. Lerner
should be relieved of her duty," Levin said.
Two other congressional committees will hold IRS hearings next week. One
of those panels, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,
plans to question five lower-level IRS employees over whether they played
a role in the targeting of conservative groups.
--
Barack Obama, reelected by the dumbest voters in the history of the United
States of America.
Eric Holder, racist black murdering United States Attorney General, still
has his job.
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
improper vetting of Barry Soetoro aka Barack Hussein Obama, a confirmed
felon using SSAN 042-68-4425, belonging to a dead man.
Obama ignored the brutal killing of an American diplomat in Benghazi, then
relieved American military officers who attempted to prevent said murder
in order to cover up his own ineptness.
Obama continues his goal of disarming America while ObamaCare increases
insurance premiums 200% and leaves millions without health care.
Obama helped bankrupt Illinois. Democrat run Chicago closes 54 public
schools.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
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