Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The IR-SS: It really should be called Organizing Against America.

Lois Lerner talked about working for Obama’s group Organizing for Action while she had official oversight over it - Patrick Howley/Daily Caller
Ex-IRS official Lois Lerner talked about taking a job with President Barack Obama’s nonprofit advocacy group Organizing for Action (OFA) while she had official oversight at the IRS over nonprofit tax-exempt groups.

The revelation was made Wednesday in the House Ways and Means Committee’s referral letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prosecute Lerner on criminal charges. Ways and Means voted to refer Lerner to DOJ.
Oversight panel recommends House hold Lois Lerner in contempt - Sean Lengell/Washington Examiner
A House Oversight and Government Reform Committee report on Tuesday recommended the full House find former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress for her refusal to answers questions about the agency's conservative-targeting scandal.

"Lois Lerner's testimony is critical to the committee's investigation," read the report released Tuesday by the Republican-run panel. "Without her testimony, the full extent of the IRS's targeting of Tea
Party applications cannot be known, and the committee will be unable to fully complete its work."
IRS under fire: Vote for Obama stickers, campaign cheerleading commonplace - Stephen Dinan/Washington Times via Mark Levin
Even as the IRS faces growing heat over Lois G. Lerner and the tea party targeting scandal, a government watchdog said Wednesday it’s pursuing cases against three other tax agency employees and offices suspected of illegal political activity in support of President Obama and fellow Democrats.
In one case the Office of Special Counsel, which investigates federal employees who conduct politics on government time, said it was “commonplace” in a Dallas IRS office for employees to have pro-Obama screensavers on their computers, and to have campaign-style buttons and stickers at their office....

Another IRS employee in Kentucky has agreed to serve a 14-day suspension for blasting Republicans in a conversation with a taxpayer.
“They’re going to take women back 40 years,” the IRS employee said in a conversation that was recorded. The employee also said that “if you vote for a Republican, the rich are going to get richer and the poor are going to get poorer.”
That employee went on to tell the taxpayer she knew she wasn’t supposed to be voicing her political opinions, and asked the taxpayer not to say anything....
Darrell Issa: Emails suggest Elijah Cummings prompted IRS targeting of True the Vote - Susan Ferrechio/Washington Examiner
“The IRS and the Oversight Minority made numerous requests for virtually identical information from True the Vote, raising concerns that the IRS improperly shared protected taxpayer information with Rep. Cummings’ staff,” a statement from the Oversight panel reads.

...Issa said Cummings and his office asked for more information in January 2013 about True the Vote, this time getting Lerner involved.

At one point, an email revealed, Lerner asked her deputy, “Did we find anything?”

When the deputy said she had not received any new information, Lerner responded, “thanks – check tomorrow please.”

Issa said Cummings had previously denied asking the IRS about True the Vote.
IRS Official Who Plead the Fifth Going To Jail? It Might Happen With Or Without DOJ Involvement - IJ Review
Lois Lerner could be jailed as a result of criminal charges via the Department of Justice or from direct Congressional action. At this point, Republicans prefer the latter and just took steps towards that end.

The House Ways and Means Committee formally requested that the Justice Dept. review pressing criminal charges.
The letter to DOJ can be read ◼ here. If convicted of these crimes in a court of law, Lerner could face up to 11 years in prison.