Posted on 06/02/2013 10:15:02 AM PDT by kristinn
IRS employee in bombshell congressional interviews about tea party targeting: 'Washington, DC wanted some cases ... I sent seven'
Interviews with IRS employees have established that the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the Internal Revenue Service was engaged in targeting tea party groups and other conservative organizations for unfair levels of scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.
Rep. Darrel lssa, chairman of powerful House Committee of Oversight and Government Reform, made that startling announcement on CNN Sunday morning.
'As late as last week,' he said, 'the [Obama] administration was still trying to say the [IRS targeting scandal] was from a few rogue agents in Cincinnati, when in fact the indication is that they were directly being ordered from Washington.'
A committee spokesman sent MailOnline partial transcripts of two interviews with unnamed IRS workers about the agency's actions in early 2010, on whose testimony Issa based his bombshell statement.
One of those interviewees said it was 'impossible' for a few IRS agents to have orchestrated such widespread partisan targeting on their own.
'Did [your supervisor] give you any indication of the need for the search [for tea party groups], any more context?' one IRS witness was asked in a closed-door interview.
'He told me that Washington, D.C., wanted some cases,' came the reply.
The employee, who said he or she was evaluating 40 such applications for tax-exempt status from conservative organizations at the time, said 'some went to Washington. D.C. ... I sent seven.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
: In early 2010, was there a time when you became aware of applications that referenced Tea Party or other conservative groups? A: In March of 2010, I was made aware.
****** Q: Okay. Now, was there a point around this time period when [your supervisor] asked you to do a search for similar applications? A: Yes. Q: To the best of your recollection, when was this request made? A: Sometime in early March of 2010.
****** Q: Did [your supervisor] give you any indication of the need for the search, any more context? A: He told me that Washington, D.C., wanted some cases.
******
Q: So as of April 2010, these 40 cases were held at that moment in your group; is that right? A: Some were. Q: How many were held there? A: Less than 40. Some went to Washington, D.C. Q: Okay. How many went to Washington, D.C.? A: I sent seven.
******
Q: So you prepared seven hard copy versions of the applications to go to Washington, D.C.? A: Correct.
******
Q: Did he give you any sort of indication as to why he requested you to do that?
[…] A: He said Washington, D.C. wanted seven. Because at one point I believe I heard they were thinking 10, but it came down to seven. I said okay, seven. Q: How did you decide which seven were sent? A: Just the first seven. Q: The first seven to come into the system? A: Yes.
*****
Q: Did anyone else ever make a request that you send any cases to Washington? A: [Different IRS employee] wanted to have two cases that she couldn't ‑‑ Washington, D.C. wanted them, but she couldn't find the paper. So she requested me, through an email, to find these cases for her and to send them to Washington, D.C. Q: When was this, what time frame? A: I don't recall the time frame, maybe May of 2010.
******
Q: But just to be clear, she told you the specific names of these applicants. A: Yes. Q: And she told you that Washington, D.C. had requested these two specific applications be sent to D.C. A: Yes, or parts of them.
******
Q: Okay. So she asked you to send particular parts of these applications. A: Mm‑hmm. Q: And that was unusual. Did you say that? A: Yes. Q: And she indicated that Washington had requested these specific parts of these specific applications; is that right? A: Correct.
******
Q: So what do you think about this, that allegation has been made, I think as you have seen in lots of press reports, that there were two rogue agents in Cincinnati that are sort of responsible for all of the issues that we have been talking about today. What do you think about those allegations? […] A: It's impossible. As an agent we are controlled by many, many people. We have to submit many, many reports. So the chance of two agents being rogue and doing things like that could never happen.
******
Q: And you've heard, I'm sure, news reports about individuals here in Washington saying this is a problem that was originated in and contained in the Cincinnati office, and that it was the Cincinnati office that was at fault. What is your reaction to those types of stories? […] A: Well, it's hard to answer the question because in my mind I still hear people saying we were low‑level employees, so we were lower than dirt, according to people in D.C. So, take it for what it is. They were basically throwing us underneath the bus.
******
Q: So is it your perspective that ultimately the responsible parties for the decisions that were reported by the IG are not in the Cincinnati office? A: I don't know how to answer that question. I mean, from an agent standpoint, we didn't do anything wrong. We followed directions based on other people telling us what to do. Q: And you ultimately followed directions from Washington; is that correct? A: If direction had come down from Washington, yes. Q: But with respect to the particular scrutiny that was given to Tea Party applications, those directions emanated from Washington; is that right? A: I believe so.
And another more senior IRS Cincinnati employee complained about micromanagement from D.C.:
Q: But you specifically recall that the BOLO terms included "Tea Party?" A: Yes, I do. Q: And it was your understanding ‑‑ was it your understanding that the purpose of the BOLO was to identify Tea Party groups? A: That is correct. Q: Was it your understanding that the purpose of the BOLO was to identify conservative groups? A: Yes, it was. Q: Was it your understanding that the purpose of the BOLO was to identify Republican groups? A: Yes, it was.
******
Q: Earlier I believe you informed us that the primary reason for applying for another job in July [2010] was because of the micromanagement from [Washington, DC, IRS Attorney], is that correct? A: Right. It was the whole Tea Party. It was the whole picture. I mean, it was the micromanagement. The fact that the subject area was extremely sensitive and it was something that I didn't want to be associated with. Q: Why didn't you want to be associated with it? A: For what happened now. I mean, rogue agent? Even though I was taking all my direction from EO Technical [Washington, D.C], I didn't want my name in the paper for being this rogue agent for a project I had no control over. Q: Did you think there was something inappropriate about what was happening in 2010? A: Yes. The inappropriateness was not processing these applications fairly and timely.
******
Q: You have stated you had concerns with the fairness and the timeliness of the application process. Did you have concerns with just the fact that these cases were grouped together and you were the only one handling them? A: I was the only one handling the Tea Party's, that is correct. Q: Did that specifically cause you concern? A: Yes, it did. And I was the only person handling them. Q: Were you concerned that you didn't have the capacity to process all of the applications in a timely manner? A: That is correct. And it is just ‑‑ I mean, like you brought up, the micromanagement, the fact that the topic was just weirdly handled was a huge concern to me.
******
Issa also discussed the Committee’s Thursday, June 6 hearing entitled “Collected and Wasted: The IRS Spending Culture and Conference Abuses.” The hearing will focus on the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report on excessive IRS conference spending and abuses of taxpayer dollars. Issa sent a letter about excessive spending to then-IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman in April, 2012. Between 2010 and 2012, the IRS held at least 220 conferences, which cost approximately $50 million.
In one example, the IRS spent $4 million dollars on a manager’s conference for 2,600 people in Anaheim, Calif. in August, 2010. Contrary to established government contracting practices, the outside event planners did not negotiate lower room rates and instead focused on “perks” for IRS employees. Several IRS employees stayed in presidential suites, which rate at $1,500-$3,500 per night. Moreover, 15 outside speakers were paid $135,000 – including one speaker who lectured on “leadership through art” for $17,000.
Additionally, multiple videos were produced for the conference. A previously unreleased video, referred to as the “cupid shuffle,” and featured employees learning the popular dance as part of preparation for the Anaheim management conference.
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BOOMM!
I hope we’ve got names!
Again....WHY do we need to get the truth from another country????
Rhetorical, of course. =)
Bammy need bigger bus.
Who here actually thinks anyone will be held accountable for this?
The IRS has gone “Waco” on the taxpaying patriots who dare to vote for limited government!
We surrender, take it all.
Of course, we all know the answer - The Department of "Just Us" can't control foreign journalists.
For once, this is a true bombshell!
The lower level employees obviously don’t want to take the fall, and even their devotion to Obama isn’t enough to make them willing to risk jail.
I don't
The individual assaults were apparently being directed by Democrat Lawyers in the IRS EO Technical unit. Smoke ‘em out and put them on camera under under oath. Let Gowdy smack them around some in a hearing.
We need another Selmer! Or Little Rock, or was it Lexington?
Singing in choir style: “We shall be over come!”
Bad government like a bad marriage is no marriage!
The divorce will be expensive as our spouse is as greedy as they come.
I think the place to focus is on the middle managers. That Seok stooge, the lawyers in the EO Technical, etc. Get the incriminating info from the worker bees and make the low level managers REALLY sweat. Maybe they will turn. Lerner, Shulman and above will go down with the ship. Waste of time there.
When the dust settles - and there should be a huge pile - I wonder if anyone is really going to take the fall for zero and Valerie.
Sad that you have to read the British press to find out what it going on in the US.
Meanwhile at the Chicago Commodities Exchange popcorn futures tripled...
Sounds like a whistle blower to me, didn't plead the Fifth! Under the bus!!!! /s
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