During the Clinton years, the IRS became another cog in the Administration's intimidation machine. Many perceived adversaries of the Clinton Administration were audited, including Paula Jones, Billy Dale, Gennifer Flowers, and a number of conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation. The Western Journalism Center, which had published ads raising questions about the death of Clinton aide Vincent Foster, was audited after the Clinton White House forwarded a complaint to the IRS.
Charles O. Rossotti eventually replaced Hillary Clinton friend Margaret Milner Richardson as IRS Commissioner in 1997. Things did not change at the IRS. For example, under Rossotti's watch, Judicial Watch client Juanita Broaddrick, the woman who was raped by Bill Clinton, was audited, as were scores of other perceived adversaries. And then Rossotti was also caught red-handed in illegal conflicts of interest. Rossotti, as IRS commissioner, has overseen the awarding of IRS contracts to AMS, a company which he founded and in which he still has a major financial interest. This year alone, AMS reportedly will make at least $17 million from its IRS contracts. Additionally, his wife served as outside counsel for AMS.
In December 2000, during the last days of the Clinton Administration, Rossotti was granted a "waiver" for his conflict of interest, obviously for a "job well done" in allowing the audits of Clintons' perceived adversaries.
All these scandals did not seem to bother the Bush Administration. Rossotti remains as IRS commissioner. In December 2001, Rossotti was forced to sell his interest in AMS. This came only after Judicial Watch criminal and civil actions concerning his conflict of interest. The sale of stock was also shortly after Judicial Watch sent 26,103 petitions to President Bush demanding that he fire Rossotti. Outrageously, Rossotti still serves, with impunity, as President Bush's IRS Commissioner. His term does not end until November 2002 – not soon enough!
Already under fire for holding on to millions of dollars worth of stock in an information-technology company that he used to run and that does substantial business with the IRS, Commissioner of Internal Revenue Charles Rossotti has hired another large stockholder in the same company to advise the agency on computer modernization and technology purchases, Insight has learned. Rossotti just installed his former employee, Fred L. Forman, as executive program adviser for business-systems modernization, a new position that pays $186,300 a year, the same salary Vice President Dick Cheney earns.