Congressman Goes On Berating Rant At Ousted IRS Commissioner And Gets A Standing Ovation

Business Insider ^ | 5/17/13 | Brett LoGiurato

[Nachum]

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) went on a rant during outgoing Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller's testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday, earning himself a standing ovation at its conclusion.

After an intense line of questioning, Kelly used up the balance of his speaking time by laying into Miller with a nearly three-minute long rant.

"I have to tell you — where you're sitting, you should be outraged. But you're not," Kelly said to Miller, who resigned on Wednesday at the request of the White House.

"The American people should be outraged, and they are. ... This reaffirms everything the American public believes. This is a huge blow to the faith and trust the American people have in their government. Is there any limit to the scope of where you folks can go?"

[I want the USA back]

They don’t care. The irs will suffer a brief sting and then go back to what they do best: destroying private enterprise, seizing money from producers, redistributing money to democrat voters, hounding and harassing innocent individuals to create an atmosphere of fear.

[q_an_a]

that’s what my wife and I thought when his rant was over. geez, where where these guys last year?

[Travis McGee]

[JustSurrounded]

Just having this discussion yesterday. The thought was that there has never been a better time to push a flat tax — that we're nearly there with medicare tax being essentially a lower-limit flat tax and the AMT being an upper limit flat tax. Even if we went to a 3-tier flat tax and eliminated all deductions, I think everything would be much better.

[Katya]

I think we could generate some buzz re this on FR...

[Mister Da]

Outrage is fine from WDC, but it rarely goes any further.

Seems like the louder the outrage the less likely that anyone in management will pay a real price. In WDC, being berated is a satisfactory substitute for arrest & conviction. Ask Charlie Rangel.

Until I see high level officials wearing handcuffs this all remains absurd theater to me.

Absurd? Because “regular” people would have already been arrested by now, their homes & businesses ransacked, their assets frozen, their file & records seized. Seen or heard of any search warrants being issued? Any offices being searched? Nope! By the time this happens, if ever, the perps will be surgery clean. The high capacity shredders are running 24/7.

Who believes Eric Holder will even investigate this criminality, much less issue any arrest warrants?

Congress can investigate forever, but they have no power to arrest the guilty, not even to fire them. Impeachment is an impossibility based on partisan politics. So, the Executive branch of gov’t is free to do as it pleases, despite any laws to the contrary. That Holder is still AG is testament to this fact.

[baddog 219]

Let them know that there will be accountability and PUNISHMENT. Has anyone in Congress said Crimes have been made and those found guilty will be punished. Have they said to these people that their job, salary, benefits, and retirement will be pulled and that if a felony is committed that a long prison term is in their future. No, Congress just points their finger at them and says, Bad dog... Bad,bad,bad. Again, no one has been fired. They just get a different job making more money and more power.
All this is, is an act. Nothing is going to change.

[Biggirl]

Good for him!

[Lancey Howard]

This is a huge blow to the faith and trust the American people have in their government.

How sick is it that Americans have "faith and trust in their government" in the first place. Anyway, what does the Democrat party base of moochers, bums, deadbeats, and parasites care about IRS abuses? They don't care about the IRS even if they've heard of it. Those scum are more likely to cheer on the IRS.

[Lancey Howard]

I agree. Blah blah blah.
Ping me when people start going to real jail.

[Cyber Liberty]

That’s the beauty of this: The Rats already made it about “politics.”

[etcb]

Let them know that there will be accountability and PUNISHMENT.....

Thanks for your reply and please accept my apology for not responding earlier.

I agree there needs to be accountability and punishment but my question is what can the individual Congressman do about it. Under our system no congressman nor congress as a whole has authority to exact punishment of any kind on any career executive branch employee. They are doing the only thing they can do and that is bring the misconduct to light and try to generate sufficient public pressure to force the president and justice department to do their job.

Speaker Boehner and others have spoken about people going to jail but for the most part they were ridiculed on these forums. Rather than being pilloried for not doing what they have no authority to do, these congressmen need to be encouraged and supported for doing what they can.