Republican IRS agent says Cincinnati began 'Tea Party' inquiries

Reuters ^ | 6/9/13 | David Morgan and Kim Dixon

[jimbo123]

A U.S. Internal Revenue Service manager, who described himself as a conservative Republican, told congressional investigators that he and a local colleague decided to give conservative groups the extra scrutiny that has prompted weeks of political controversy.

In an official interview transcript released on Sunday by Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings, the manager said he and an underling set aside "Tea Party" and "patriot" groups that had applied for tax-exempt status because the organizations appeared to pose a new precedent that could affect future IRS filings.

Cummings, top Democrat on the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee conducting the probe, told CNN's "State of the Union" program that the manager's comments provided evidence that politics was not behind IRS actions that have fueled a month-long furor in Washington.

"He is a conservative Republican working for the IRS. I think this interview and these statements go a long way toward showing that the White House was not involved in this," Cummings told CNN's "State of the Union" program.

[Bigg Red]

When I saw Cummings making comments critical of this IRS activity a few weeks ago, my antennae went up. Now, I see that his criticism was all part of the coverup.

Oh, look, everybody! A big-time Rat is calling out the IRS. Surely a big investigation will ensue. Oh, never mind, Cummings says the scandal is over, the culprits have been identified, and we can go about our business. I am so relieved.