That's point 1. Point 2 is simpler. No top end executive in the federal government knows the regulations and procedures well enough to come up with something that's unlawful ~ about all they can do is misinterpret the rules, underestimate the intelligence of the staff, and overestimate how long something will take.
The staffers know what to do, and if the top boss said APPLICATIONS ARE UP, whether they were or not, the GS12/13/14/15 levels who do the work of crafting agency decisions would prepare to streamline the workload so they could get it done with no greater backlog than normal.
It's only AFTER the staff figures out something like this ~ looking for keywords ~ which even a chimpanzee if not an SES or appointee could figure out ~ that somebody at the top will glom onto it for the purpose of 'earning' a bonus.
Point 3 is THE BONUSES WERE GIVEN and WE KNOW WHO GOT THEM. The only thing to be provided by the working level folks are the dates!
That was a good "streamline" of the questionnaire given to Tea Party organizations seeking tax exempt status.
Was that worthy of a raise? Is that consistent with all other collectives seeking tax exemption, or is that selective interrogation to bolster [plausible] deniability?
Point 3 is THE BONUSES WERE GIVEN and WE KNOW WHO GOT THEM.
$ocialism I$ Legal Plunder - "The Law" - Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850
When in the course of human events...
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
Weapons of totalitarians.