Free Republic

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which oversees the Internal Revenue Service, reports that in fiscal 2016 the IRS closed four cases in which IRS employees were found to have violated a law governing their behavior toward taxpayers and that these violations included “harassing and abusing taxpayers and using obscene and profane language.” In 1998, Congress enacted a law imposing restrictions on the way that IRS employees could treat taxpayers. As explained by the IG, this included a prohibition on an IRS employee contacting a taxpayer at “unusual or inconvenient times,” contacting the taxpayer directly if the taxpayer “has...

Another day, another allegation. Or two or three allegations. The era of sexual McCarthyism has dawned and shows no sign of abating. And as the accusations reach back farther and farther in time, the chasm between those decades and today becomes ever more glaringly incongruous. What could be more ironic than the fact that we are experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of long-belated sexual harassment charges in a generation defined by its sexual licentiousness? We are, after all, living in an era that a 2013 article on the American Psychological Association website dubbed the “Sexual Hook-up Culture.” A time of “uncommitted...

...Roy Moore, a kindred spirit to the Washington outsider that Trump truly is, was poised to coast into a Senate seat for the great state of Alabama in the coming months before a wild and unverifiable accusation of sexual misconduct from thirty years ago surfaced last week. Now, as more and more evidence points to a setup by Mitch McConnell and his team of self preservationists, Moore’s supporters are doubling down on their enthusiasm for their candidate with a massive spike in donations. “CNN Political Reporter Rebecca Berg reported that Roy Moore’s campaign chairman told them the campaign’s fundraising has...

Alabama's Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore has been the center of national attention this past week as several sexual misconduct allegations have been lodged against him and have caused a number of prominent conservatives to question his candidacy.The Washington Post reported last Thursday on an alleged romantic encounter Moore had with a 14-year-old girl while he was a single, 32-year-old man and also reported on his relationship with three other 16- to 18-year-old girls that occurred decades ago.Since the Nov. 9 Washington Post report was published, others have come forward with their own stories of Moore's alleged perverted misconduct.Leigh Corfman The...

I imagine that this will light up the comments section, but someone needs to write it: the conspiracy theories cropping up over the Las Vegas shooting are as noisome as mushrooms on a dunghill after a spring rain. In discussing some of the more outlandish and offensive ones, I will not document them lest I drive more traffic to the authors' websites. Law enforcement is withholding information from us. Of course it is. It always does. That's called good practice before police have interviewed all who might have information – scarcely a revelation. Do I wish they would release all...

Finger-pointing erupted within the National Security Council following a major leak to The Washington Post of telephone transcripts between President Donald Trump and the leaders of Mexico and Australia, The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group has learned. And as the U.S inches closer to war with North Korea, the White House body charged with discussing and coordinating U.S. foreign policy is engulfed in what one administration official called a “poisonous environment.” Initial leak accusations from two White House officials focused on Megan Badasch, the National Security Council (NSC) deputy executive secretary, who manages the NSC’s document portal. The portal...

Attorney General Jeff Sessions called suggestions he colluded with Russian officials an “appalling and detestable lie”. Do you believe him? No. Yes.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told lawmakers Tuesday that accusations he knew about or participated in possible collusion with the Russia government during the 2016 election constitute an "appalling and detestable lie." Appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sessions addressed a range of issues, including accusations that he had knowledge of or was directly involved in Russian efforts to interfere in the presidential election to boost President Donald Trump's campaign. "I have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected to the Trump campaign," Sessions said. He added that to suggest otherwise was to impugn his record of service. "I...

"You can't make this stuff up. https://t.co/eWgXjlCCiU" — Mark Teister (@MTeister) April 26, 2017 The election of Donald Trump as president created an “all hands on deck” situation in the mainstream media, and fortunately many journos who focus on the White House are well rested after a hiatus of several years. There’s one reporter in particular who has renewed vigor, and Politico has heralded his return: "With millions of Facebook fans and the freedom to speak his mind, Dan Rather is back in the arena https://t.co/Y4fCwcFpLd via @POLITICOMag pic.twitter.com/6fw5ywjrVr" — POLITICO (@politico) April 26, 2017 "Dan Rather's second coming https://t.co/H9K9TH4bUi...

As corruption investigations pile up, Benjamin Netanyahu’s potential early departure is likely to produce an early election with unpredictable results. (snip) The case the police is calling File 1000, which explores a supply channel of quality cigars and cases of pink champagne to the Netanyahu household from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, is the lesser of three investigations involving Netanyahu. The others involve an influence deal with the publisher of a major Israeli newspaper and an untendered purchase of German submarines. The second file is about talks held in 2014 between Netanyahu and Arnon “Noni” Mozes, publisher of the mass-circulation Yediot...

"I have been looking into the San Fransisco address listed in the Wikileaks Final Report and found something possibly big, who may be behind the Assange Pedophile attacks a corporation called Premise Data Corporation"

Donald J. Trump was emphatic in the second presidential debate: Yes, he had boasted about kissing women without permission and grabbing their genitals. But he had never actually done those things, he said. “No,” he declared under questioning on Sunday evening, “I have not.” At that moment, sitting at home in Manhattan, Jessica Leeds, 74, felt he was lying to her face. “I wanted to punch the screen,” she said in an interview in her apartment. More than three decades ago, when she was a traveling businesswoman at a paper company, Ms. Leeds said, she sat beside Mr. Trump in...

I would like to know if any FReepers can provide links to the following videoclips: 1) Very old Larry King TV Show interview in which the very young Donald Trump starts off by insulting Larry King about his bad breath; 2) The speech (?) in which Trump reportedly made an insinuation that Ben Carson is a child molester; 3) The part of the South Carolina TV debate in which Trump somehow blamed George W. Bush for 9-11; 4) The statement (speech/interview/Twitter post?) blaming Cruz for Obamacare by endorsing John Roberts candidacy on the SCOTUS. Some or maybe even all of...

“Trust but Verify” is a motto that I hold dear as a political analyst and writer. For the record, I don’t consider myself a journalist, as I hold an outward bias towards the destructive policies, tactics, and rhetoric of Regressives Progressives. My website is named Reaganbaby because I was inspired, at a young age, by the common sense conservatism and leadership of Ronald Reagan. Therefore, I sacrifice my objectivity on the altar of supply side economics, free markets, fair trade and conservative principles—principles based in capitalism, smaller government and the spirit of the individual, rather than the group- think mentality...

Since the media has decided to bombard me with stories of Bill Cosby's alleged rapes, I believe that I have a right to examine his accusers' claims. As each new woman surfaces and recounts her alleged sexual assault by him, I am left with more questions than answers. I am not suggesting that Mr. Cosby is not guilty of adultery, however; the media and his accusers are claiming that he is a serial rapist. So far, I have not seen any evidence to prove their claims. Even his accusers say that they do not remember being raped. All that some...

“While careful to note ‘no specific threats’ have been found, it appears the FBI and DHS have decided it’s time to show why local police departments needed to be fully militarized after all. In the first bulletin, according to Bloomberg, US security officials warned federal and local police to watch for “homegrown violent extremists” who may be motivated to attack by airstrikes in Syria. In the second bulletin, the FBI and DHS assess that disgruntled and former employees pose a significant threat to US businesses due to their authorized access to sensitive information and the networks businesses rely on (no...

he football coach fired from Minnesota State, Mankato announced Tuesday that he will return to the job after an arbitrator ruled he was wrongfully terminated, saying the decision wasn't easy but that it would help him and his family heal. Todd Hoffner was fired last May for reasons undisclosed at the time. But the dismissal came after he was cleared of child pornography charges stemming from images of his children on a work-issued cellphone, accusations that Hoffner called the "most ridiculous things I've ever heard in my life."

...Many today use innuendo, outright lies and other forms of deception to confuse and divide in order to control followers... The end result?...About 80% of the Church succumbed to lies and deceit, and either followed Joe Tkach or went home in confusion...-most...became “lost to history,” spiritually dying where they sat. The remaining 20% fell into following various bickering, disagreeing splinter leaders teaching selected—preferred!—parts of the truth... Fast forward to 1993-1998, to sample one splinter. An evangelist (Roderick Meredith) arose and came to power in the Global Church of God. This second new leader also promised...he would uphold the truth as...

President Obama has shot back against accusations that White House officials leaked high-level national security information to the New York Times, calling the charges "offensive" and "wrong." "The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. It's wrong," he said during a press conference this morning. "People I think need to have a better sense of how I approach this office and how the people around me approach this office." The President's remarks follow accusations made earlier this week by Sen. John McCain and other Senate Republicans that the White House had leaked information...

President Obama when asked about the attacks from conservatives that he is waging a "war on religion" said that he finds it "puzzling," particularly because of his first job as a community organizer in Chicago, working with churches where he says he spread the "social gospel." In an interview Monday with Des Moines television station WHO he said of the charges, "I find this very puzzling, because my first job, my first real job out of college, was working with churches in low-income communities, trying to make sure that the social gospel was made real, that people were getting help."