Posted on 05/15/2013 8:21:04 PM PDT by LibFreeUSA
CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -
FOX19 has exclusively learned that as many as four people may be the first Cincinnati Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees to face disciplinary action, and possibly even criminal charges, for allegedly targeting Tea Party and Liberty groups applying for non-profit status.
On Wednesday, the IRS announced that it has pin-pointed two employees at the agency's Cincinnati office for being 'primarily' responsible.
In addition, acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resigned his position, revealed by President Obama on Wednesday.
"Secretary Lew took the first step by requesting and accepting the resignation of the acting commissioner of the IRS, because given the controversy surrounding this audit, it's important to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward," said President Obama in a statement on Wednesday evening.
Prior to his resignation, Steven Miller called the two Cincinnati employees 'rogue' and 'off the reservation', adding that they were 'overly aggressive' in handling the requests from those conservative groups over the past two years.
Miller also added that those two employees have already been 'disciplined' by the agency.
However, despite the claim of just two employees being involved, FOX19 has exclusively learned from two separate sources that there could be at least four Cincinnati employees involved.
Those four employees -- whose names we have chosen to withhold until they have been officially confirmed -- Have each worked in the IRS Exempt Organizations Department.
This is the same department that has admitted publicly to sending letters to Tea Party and other conservative organizations.
FOX19 has also confirmed those four Cincinnati employees made large requests of information from:
The Richmond, Virginia Tea Party in January of 2012. The Ohio Liberty Council in January of 2012.. Dan Backer, a lawyer based in Washington D.C. who helped six small conservative groups apply for 501c4 status in February of 2012. The Liberty Township Tea Party in March of 2012.
One of FOX19's two sources went on say that these four IRS workers claim "they simply did what their bosses ordered". Keep in mind, as FOX19 reported on Tuesday, the report by the Office of Inspector General states that senior IRS officials knew agents were targeting Tea Party groups as early as 2011.
In fact, according to that report, Lois Lerner who heads the IRS division that oversees tax exempt organizations, was told on June 29, 2011 that groups with 'Tea Party', 'Patriot' or '9/12 Project' in their names were being flagged for additional, and often burdensome, scrutiny.
While the IRS is pointing at 'two rogue employees', the number of organizations that were singled out has swelled to nearly 500, according to Rep. Congressmen Darryl Issa and Ohio's Jim Jordan.
FOX News is also reporting that at least two Cincinnati agents have been subpoenaed to testify before congress on Monday.
At least he got this statement right.
Just what I was thinking. Where did this come from? The IRS just suddenly admits this? Say what? This is a deflection.
So the cover-up has already been exposed.
Who directed the cover-up?
Yes, I knew that - an important note - and should have put that in my steps. DOJ would be the ones to prosecute and secure the indictment thru grandjury.
So we are to believe that all of these conservative group applications were handled by a couple of people. Somehow these just ended up on their desks. Sorry, not buying it!
and that’s the thing are republicans going to act with a spine or like cowards to maintain their own power and not mix things up which is what I think they do so much of the time.
Refund to them their indiviual contributions (they can use it in partial payment of their attorney bills) but absolutely NO PENSION FOR THEM. Federal employees would rather have their spouse and children killed before they lost their pensions. OK, that’s a little exageration—but not much.
And believe me, this corruption extends far beyond 4 employees. A REAL INVESTIGATION (i.e., hard drives seized, complete phone records obtained, complete copies of all emails obtained [actual digital copies with all metadata intact] relevant data from various IRS servers obtained.
Orders need to go out before to seize relevant hard drives and servers before the “I’m sorry, we 'sanitized' those hard-drives per our current security practices” excuses have an opportunity to unfold.
Let’s have a well-funded and staffed Special Prosecutor start the digging without further footdragging by Obama administration staffers.
I don’t know.
But in my travels today I heard Limbaugh play a segment or Q/A and he didn’t really answer the question. I can’t find it right now though.
Something about he was asked a question about the IRS, and answered it about something else.
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