Lois Lerner IRS Emails
In 2009 groups associated with the groups which would like to see the rule of law followed exclusively as outlined in the United States Constitution, commonly called “Tea Party” groups, and those with a conservative political stance noticed their applications to be designated as tax exempt were taking much longer than those which were adherents of different political philosophies. An investigation was launched and it was determined at least some employees within the department of the Internal Revenue Service which handled these types of requests were delaying, or outright rejecting, their application because of their beliefs. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is suppose to be an apolitical organization. The question then became who, if anyone, had directed these employees to act in such a way, and just how far into the government hierarchy did this reach?
The head of the particular department, Ms. Lois Lerner, was brought before Congress to testify as to what she knew after it was learned she had posited the question on a legal discussion board about such behavior. Ms. Lerner answered some of the questions, yet invoked her protection under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution against self incrimination on others.
Congress then subpoenaed all documents about this matter from the Executive Branch and was given some, but not all the requested documents. The missing documents were said to have been lost or destroyed when Ms. Lerner’s hard drive crashed on her computer and her Blackberry mobile phone was rendered unusable. The suspect phone wasn't broken until after news of the situation broke onto the national awareness.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is overseeing the investigation in the House of Representatives has been unsuccessfully trying to get the contact information for one Mr. Andrew Strelka from the Department of Justice. Mr. Strelka worked for Ms. Lerner and is allegedly implicated in the targeting of Tea Party groups and then as counsel on the cases which were brought in response to the targeting. This is a possible conflict of interest.
Throughout this process the administration has claimed the subject documents were destroyed and irretrievable, as someone from an IT background and having been using, fixing, and building computers of various sizes and capabilities for over 33 years, this just didn't compute. Any large organization has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure such data is maintained in case of legal action or audit. In the case of governmental agencies there is the Federal Records Act which lays down procedures and criteria for how the records are to be kept and what type of records are to be kept. U.S. Archivist David Ferriero told Congress that those laws had not been followed by the IRS in this case.
What has also been revealed by a Justice Department lawyer to a lawyer representing the watchdog group Judicial Watch is the supposedly lost documents aren't lost at all; the process to retrieve this information would be too “onerous”. This admission comes after the Justice Department and others within the administration have stated under oath in various forums the documents were lost or destroyed.
My issue with all of this is the precedent it sets and the willful deception by the administration of Congress. In 1972, President Nixon was on the verge of impeachment for the cover up of its authorizing the break-in of the Democratic Party Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel located in Washington, DC. This is the use of a governmental agency by a sitting administration to attack its political enemies who engaged in legal activities; to me this is much worse and a greater threat to our system of government.
The Huffington Post
Ex-IRS Official Was Complaining To Her Husband With GOP 'Crazies' Remark: Report
The Huffington Post,. (2014). Ex-IRS Official Was Complaining To Her Husband With GOP 'Crazies' Remark: Report. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/02/lois-lerner-crazies_n_5644376.html
The Huffington Post
Ex-IRS Official Criticized GOP As 'Crazies,' 'Assholes' In Emails
The Huffington Post,. (2014). Ex-IRS Official Criticized GOP As 'Crazies,' 'Assholes' In Emails. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/lois-lerner-emails-_n_5634379.html
The Huffington Post
Tea Party Lawsuit Against IRS Moves Forward
The Huffington Post,. (2014). Tea Party Lawsuit Against IRS Moves Forward. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/18/tea-party-irs_n_5600807.html
The Huffington Post
Justice Department To Investigate Missing IRS Emails
The Huffington Post,. (2014). Justice Department To Investigate Missing IRS Emails. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/16/justice-department-irs-emails_n_5593075.html
The Huffington Post
IRS Head Says No Laws Broken In Loss Of Emails
The Huffington Post,. (2014). IRS Head Says No Laws Broken In Loss Of Emails. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/irs-emails_n_5525126.html
The Huffington Post
White House Staffer Subpoenaed In IRS Investigation
The Huffington Post,. (2014). White House Staffer Subpoenaed In IRS Investigation. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/irs-probe-white-house_n_5523828.html
The Huffington Post
Congress Holds Lois Lerner In Contempt
The Huffington Post,. (2014). Congress Holds Lois Lerner In Contempt. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/07/lois-lerner-contempt-vote_n_5283001.html
NewsBusters
IRS Scandal Bombshell! DOJ Attorney Admits Lois Lerner Emails Exist! Will Nets Report?
NewsBusters,. (2014). IRS Scandal Bombshell! DOJ Attorney Admits Lois Lerner Emails Exist! Will Nets Report?. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://newsbusters.org/blogs/geoffrey-dickens/2014/08/25/irs-scandal-bombshell-doj-attorney-admits-lois-lerner-emails-exist
Sekulow
IRS scandal: Lois Lerner’s ‘perfect’ method for hiding emails
Sekulow,. (2014). IRS scandal: Lois Lerner’s ‘perfect’ method for hiding emails. Fox News. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/11/irs-scandal-lois-lerners-perfect-method-for-hiding-emails/
Flopping Aces
The IRS scandal explodes
Flopping Aces,. (2014). The IRS scandal explodes. Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://floppingaces.net/2014/06/17/the-irs-scandal-explodes/
(2014, September 05). Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. GOP lawmaker accuses DOJ of hiding former employee linked to IRS scandal | Fox News. Retrieved September 05, 2014, from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/05/gop-lawmaker-demands-doj-hand-over-contact-info-former-employee-linked-to-irs/
