Posted on 09/10/2014 12:20:53 PM PDT by jazusamo
During another grueling hearing on the ObamaCare rollout, the head of the Internal Revenue Service tried to offer lawmakers an assurance about the soon-to-open enrollment period.
“Whenever we can, we follow the law,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told the House Ways and Means subcommittee on health on Wednesday.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), who leads the subcommittee, immediately expressed his concern with the remarks.
“I encourage you to follow the law in all instances,” Brady said.
Koskinen, who was confirmed as head of IRS last December, has repeatedly faced lawmakers' ire over the agency's targeting of conservative groups.
Lawmakers spent a majority of Wednesday's hearing grilling Koskinen and Andy Slavitt, HealthCare.Gov's fix-it man, on how they would verify that consumers were providing correct income information as they signed up for insurance subsidies.
Koskinen, who said he’s been meeting with tech and business staff every two weeks since January, said things are “on track” to verify income for all new enrollees.
Still, Slavitt acknowledged that the administration faces a “trust gap” in ObamaCare’s second year of implementation.
Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) cautioned against what he described as unchecked power given to the IRS under the healthcare law. He demanded to know how the Obama administration would prevent a “Lois Lerner 2.0 situation."
“It seems to me that the IRS is just poised to go swimming in a big pool of money,” Roskam said. “Are these the same IT people that can’t find Lois Lerner’s emails or deal with her hard drives?”
Koskinen was asked if he defended Lerner, to which he replied, “No, I don’t know her."
It was Slavitt’s first public appearance since the federal government announced last week that HealthCare.gov had been hacked in July. But just one lawmaker, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), prodded Slavitt about the security breach.
Price questioned why insurance company leaders told him they had learned about the hack from media reports. Slavitt disputed the claim, saying he had personally informed a representative from the insurance association about the breach.
“Whenever we can, we follow the law,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told the House Ways and Means subcommittee on health on Wednesday.
That’s a lie. They have deliberately chosen to break the law by targeting polical opponents. Then they have chosen to break the law again by covering up and obstructing the investigation on their criminal behavior.
The irs is a criminal organization.
Koskinen is not a dim bulb. He is a dangerous partisan who should not be in his position.
Koskinen graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in physics from Duke University in 1961, where he was a Member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and Phi Beta Kappa; graduated with an LLB, cum laude, (JD) from Yale University School of Law in 1964; and did post graduate work in Cambridge University, Cambridge, England from 1964 to 1965. He was later named a Significant Sig by the Sigma Chi Fraternity recognizing his professional contributions to society.
I grant you he has a good education and received honors.
I based that solely on him saying what he did in front of that committee, really dumb.
The executive, the legislative and the Judicial are the three branches of Government for the third graders who haven’t gotten that far. The House, (Legislative does not sentence.)
Koskinen is not dumb nor is he doing anything to help the investigation. He came on board as IRS Director in December 2013. We can all rail about his misstatements and outright lies, but unless we nail those responsible for this scandal, including no doubt those in the WH, Obama has won. The IRS has become a politicized, partisan government agency--a frightening reality given the power of the IRS, which has expanded under Obamacare.
GOVERNMENT: you take a business and you take away reason and accountability.
We truly have entered the Twilight Zone...
What I like about the IRS is that it’s populated by fat, chunky marshmallow butts who reject, en masse, the words diet and exercise and subsequently wouldn’t last two minutes on a battlefield.
Lex, rex.
Whenever I can, I try like hell to NOT pay the taxes.
Screw this corrupt government and the friggin IRS to boot. They can all burn in hell for all I care.
“Whenever we can, we follow the law” This is the Obama administration’s motto.
I want to see Koskinen in PRISON next to Lois Lerner!!!
No different than a hot chick stripping in front of a panel of eunuchs. Nothin' gonna happen anyway.
Ha! That’s a good way of putting it and you’re right.
For that idiotic comment alone, the guy should be dismissed.
There’s not a janitor in the nation that would make that comment in front of Congress.
they ignore drug and immigration laws , but then sue police depts. for not enough minorities .
If we had a GOP with some balls Holder would have been gone after the black panther incident
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