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White House stuck on IRS scandal response
POLITICO ^ | 05/14/2013 | Reid J. Epstein

Posted on 05/14/2013 3:27:26 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

The IRS scandal puts President Barack Obama in the worst possible position: all of the blame, none of the power to fix it.

The Republicans finally have a scandal with potential staying power: One of the most reviled federal agencies improperly targeted conservative groups. The House will hold hearings. Republican leaders are making the media rounds and expressing their disgust.

And the White House is stuck waiting.

Obama called the story “outrageous” Monday and made vague promises to hold people accountable, but there’s not much he can do until the report comes out from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Even his options are firing people are limited. There are only two political appointees in the 106,000-employee agency: the commissioner — formerly a President George W. Bush appointee who left in November when his five-year term expired — and the general counsel.

But Democratic operatives with crisis experience say there is a playbook for regaining a measure of control — if he does it quickly. Several said he should quickly move for an independent investigation.

“He has to demand full accountability and then heads have to roll,”said Hilary Rosen, a Democratic strategist close to the White House. “Everybody has to condemn it, no one can be defending this, and the White House has to be at the top of the list in condemning it.”

So far, that’s not the approach. Obama hedged his statements by saying “if,” and press secretary Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One Monday afternoon that the White House must await the inspector general’s report before saying anything else.

“If you’ve got the IRS operating in anything less than a neutral and non-partisan way, then that is outrageous, it is contrary to our traditions,” Obama said.

(Excerpt) Read more at dyn.politico.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: irs; irsscandal; obama; whitehouse
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1 posted on 05/14/2013 3:27:26 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Obama never knows anything about nuthin'.

What the hell IS he in charge of?

2 posted on 05/14/2013 3:30:05 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: SeekAndFind

Hey leftard pos anti-American enemy scumbags... if obama and his administration didn’t commit high crimes and misdemeanors... then we wouldn’t have any scandals to bring up!

LLS


3 posted on 05/14/2013 3:31:41 PM PDT by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Listen, reid, bubby. Benghazi has staying power and we are going to make damn sure of it.


4 posted on 05/14/2013 3:31:52 PM PDT by MestaMachine
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To: SeekAndFind

What if President Obama just said, “So what, we targeted these organization because we think they are dangerous.” Does anybody think there would be an serious repercussions? Would he really get in trouble?


5 posted on 05/14/2013 3:33:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: MestaMachine
Listen, reid, bubby. Benghazi has staying power and we are going to make damn sure of it.

I agree, I'm thinking this is all a distraction from what really happened in Benghazi.

This is all adding up to a "Potomac Two step"

6 posted on 05/14/2013 3:36:23 PM PDT by Las Vegas Ron (Medicine is the keystone in the arch of socialism)
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To: SeekAndFind
"IF"?

Obama, you lying sack of s**t. Every one of these current scandals leads right back to YOU!

Your sewer dwelling minions didn't commit any of these outrageous treasons on their own. They got their marching orders directly from YOU!

7 posted on 05/14/2013 3:36:23 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: nickcarraway

Same with the AP scandal!
Homeland security said these pps were under suspission!
So were monitered! Depends who will run with the Fairway King!
But I think the house of cards will fall!


8 posted on 05/14/2013 3:36:37 PM PDT by Conserev1 ("Still Clinging to my Bible and my Weapon")
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To: SeekAndFind

All the “scandals” hitting the fan right now have one purpose... to distract from Benghazi, where the treason lies.


9 posted on 05/14/2013 3:37:35 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Islam is a religion of peace, and Moslems reserve the right to detonate anyone who says otherwise.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Ya' know, watching FNC as these three scandals unfolded, gave me a slight chill down my spine (actually four, as the "news" media stepping away from defending the bozo counts as #4). Zero and his minions have never faced anything like this.

Their response might be over the top, you know, to distract everyone from the current scandals and re-assert zero's "supremacy". Something that might allow Zero to declare martial law or some other serious clampdown on our freedoms.

God, I hope I'm wrong.

10 posted on 05/14/2013 3:38:35 PM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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Oh, and reid, for your edification, the WHITEHOUSE is stuck at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and I sure wish it could talk. obama is stuck on obama no matter where he is and I wish HE would shut up.


11 posted on 05/14/2013 3:41:39 PM PDT by MestaMachine
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To: jeffc

Hillary seems to be the one to gain by having the focus shift elsewhere. Hillary’s friends in key places can certainly provide a lot of leaked distraction under Obama...


12 posted on 05/14/2013 3:43:10 PM PDT by DB
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To: SeekAndFind
"...it is contrary to our traditions,” Obama said.

Traditions? Little more than "traditions."

13 posted on 05/14/2013 3:46:48 PM PDT by Inyo-Mono (NRA)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
All the “scandals” hitting the fan right now have one purpose... to distract from Benghazi, where the treason lies.

Doubt it. There are a thousand other things the Democrats could do to deflect the public's attention from the Benghazi scandal - none of which would involve inflicting harm (or even the threat of harm) on the White House.

Obama and his minions are too arrogant and ignorant to play such high stakes rope-a-dope. No way in hell would they intentionally leak information that would negatively impact Obama, Holder, Clinton, or any high profile member of the regime.

Nope. This is what it looks like. All hell's breaking loose, and Obama's chickens are all coming home to roost at once.

14 posted on 05/14/2013 3:47:12 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Get this POS out of office!


15 posted on 05/14/2013 3:50:45 PM PDT by Dallas59 (Q: The worst president in US history?)
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To: jeffc
Something that might allow Zero to declare martial law or some other serious clampdown on our freedoms. God, I hope I'm wrong.

Step back a moment and apply a little logic to what you just stated. You do realize that Americans bought enough guns to fully equip the Indian and Chinese armies, just since JANUARY of THIS YEAR, do you not?

Over 100,000,000 Americans are now armed with over 300,000,000 firearms. That is more than all the armies of the world, combined.

No, the Communist traitors will never declare martial law as long as they face those sort of odds. To do so, would be suicidal, and would result in a complete reset of this country, ending with an effective ban of their chosen political ideology.

And they know this.

16 posted on 05/14/2013 3:53:55 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: DB
Hillary seems to be the one to gain by having the focus shift elsewhere.

Someone else voiced that theory today, and if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

The scandals we're witnessing may be just the front of a larger internal battle happening between the Clinton and Obama wings of the radical left.

If we see a major scandal breaking on Hillary's doorstep in the next few days, we'll know for sure.

17 posted on 05/14/2013 3:57:44 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Windflier
Your sewer dwelling minions didn't commit any of these outrageous treasons on their own. They got their marching orders directly from YOU!

More than likely from Jarrett, Axelrod and Michelle. Obama is just the 'suit' that goes out to community organize. Also any of you that were in the military know that when a superior officer says something on the order of ,"I'd like to see.......etc." it is understood as an order. No different in the 1/2 white house.

18 posted on 05/14/2013 4:06:23 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: Windflier
Yes, you are correct.

I also know how far desperate people are sometimes willing to go to protect what they have. The Obama people do not strike me as very smart people. Vindictive, petulant, power-hungry, yes, but not intelligent in the true sense of the word.

Martial law is, admittedly, a long shot. They might do something that scares a lot of people into submission. Heck, everything they do scares me!

19 posted on 05/14/2013 4:06:39 PM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: nickcarraway

What if President Obama just said, “So what, we targeted these organization because we think they are dangerous.” Does anybody think there would be an serious repercussions? Would he really get in trouble?


What % of the audits turned out to be validated? 0?

We need to know that number, and shout it from the roofs.


20 posted on 05/14/2013 4:07:01 PM PDT by txhurl
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