Back in June of 2013 Elijah Cummings declared the IRS investigation over, despite the continued stonewalling by the Obama administration:
Based upon everything I’ve seen, the case is solved. If it were me, I would wrap this case up and move on, to be frank with you. The IG made some recommendations, those recommendations are being adopted by the IRS, we’ve got a new commissioner in, acting commissioner in, Danny Werfel is doing a great job, I think we’re in great shape.
Last month all of the democrat members of the House Oversight Committee demanded Darryl Issa end the IRS investigation.
Now we know why, and why the next public word out of Cummings’ mouth will be “racism.”
Cummings pushed the IRS to harass True the Vote.
Today Issa released information about communications between the IRS and Cummings vis-à-vis True the Vote:
Issa said records obtained last week from the IRS show communications from the office of ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., about True the Vote, a Texas-based, non-profit conservative group that aims to prevent voter fraud.
The communications at one point involved Lois Lerner, the ex-IRS official whom Issa’s panel is poised to hold in contempt of Congress on Thursday for refusing to provide testimony about her involvement in targeting conservative groups.
“The IRS and the Oversight Minority made numerous requests for virtually identical information from True the Vote, raising concerns that the IRS improperly shared protected taxpayer information with Rep. Cummings’ staff,” a statement from the Oversight panel reads.
According to Issa, Cummings and his staff sought “copies of all training materials used for volunteers, affiliates, or other entities,” from True the Vote.
Five days after the Cummings inquiry, the IRS sent True the Vote an email requesting “a copy of [True the Vote’s] volunteer registration form,” “… the process you use to assign volunteers,” “how you keep your volunteers in teams,” and “how your volunteers are deployed … following the training they receive by you.”
Issa said Cummings and his office asked for more information in January 2013 about True the Vote, this time getting Lerner involved.
At one point, an email revealed, Lerner asked her deputy, “Did we find anything?”
When the deputy said she had not received any new information, Lerner responded, “thanks – check tomorrow please.”
Issa said Cummings had previously denied asking the IRS about True the Vote.
Next thing you know, True the Vote’s Engelbrecht is being harassed by the IRS:
Nonetheless, Engelbrecht’s True the Vote received a letter from the IRS with inquiries that agency officials have testified were unprecedented in scope. Cummings’s letter contained questions that closely mirrored those posed by the IRS, and Issa details them in his letter, strongly implying that one was modeled on the other.
In a February hearing, True the Vote’s lawyer, Cleta Mitchell, raised the prospect that the minority staff had exchanged information with the IRS. “We want to get to the bottom of how these coincidences happened,” Mitchell said, “and we’re trying to figure out whether any — if there was any staff on this committee that might have been involved in putting True the Vote on the radar screen of some of these federal agencies.” Cummings said in response that Mitchell’s tacit allegation was “absolutely incorrect and not true.”
“Although you have previously denied that your staff made inquiries to the IRS about conservative organization True the Vote that may have led to additional agency scrutiny, communication records between your staff and IRS officials – which you did not disclose to Majority Members or staff – indicates otherwise,” Issa said. “As the Committee is scheduled to consider a resolution holding Ms. Lerner, a participant in responding to your communications that you failed to disclose, in contempt of Congress, you have an obligation to fully explain your staff’s undisclosed contacts with the IRS.”
And not just the IRS. There’s more here and here. Cummings and the IRS and the BATF all but raped Engelbrecht. This was a real war on a woman. This was the very definition of persecution. Since when does your Congressman pay you a personal visit to harass you?
In an email Lois Lerner also suggested the possibility of her getting a job with the DC office of Obama’s Organizing for Action. It’s conjectured that it might have been a joke. Obama also “joked” about using the IRS to audit his enemies.
Lois Lerner has been referred to the Justice Department for prosecution. Make no mistake, this is a Watergate moment.
The legitimacy of the Obama Presidency now rests on the actions of Eric Holder. If he claims the “vast discretion” he spoke of and chooses not to pursue the Lerner referral, it’s over.
It would be time for a Special Prosecutor.
Or, failing that, a rebellion.
Fortunately, the House does not rule out arresting Lerner if the Department of Injustice does not. Criminal acts have been committed and the people’s trust in a government institution has been violated and faith been destroyed.
Eric Holder is without the least shred of integrity. He is thoroughly dishonest. He was put in place to do one thing and that is to protect his boss’s ass from the law. Two years ago I put up a post about the Republican a-holes who voted to confirm this POS. You can see the list here. As much as your anger should be directed at Obama and Holder, it should also be aimed at those idiots. I knew this was coming and they should have. We’re looking at a full blown Constitutional crisis. Nixon had Attorneys General with a conscience. Not so with the man who freed Marc Rich and the FALN terrorists. Conscience has no purchase of Eric Holder and neither does the law.
UPDATE
Oversight Committee votes to find Lerner in contempt
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
No surprise to me, especially the Cummings connection, but somehow, once again, the liberals with attempt to defend the indefensible. And this whole case will disappear under Holder’s desk.
When the history of this era is finally written, we are sure gonna look like idiots for letting things go this far.
Dr.J,
I’m convinced you’re right about Holder, conscience and the law. Holder is just an ideological gnat which controls the world along with Jarrett. These two and their puppet should be removed — there’s not a caring bone between the three of them. All they need the Narcissist-In-Chief to do is make speeches, raise money, and play golf — they can take care of the rest.
As for Cummings, he is what he appears every time he opens his mouth – a clueless goof who’s a poster child for term limits.
Sadly, as we watch the edeological abuse of the vast bureaucracy which Jarrett has unleashed on anyone who opposes her bunch in the Admin., we find an exact replay of Hitler’s tactics and use of fear in the ’30s. Half of a supposedly intelligent society got skunked with eyes wide shut, and the other half eventually woke up but it was too late to do anything.
”
This may come as a shock to Lois Lerner, but the House of Representatives has the authority to jail her unless she changes her mind about refusing to answer questions about her role in the IRS scandal. Essentially, what is required for that to happen is for a House majority to vote for a motion holding her in contempt and House Speaker John Boehner to then direct the House sergeant at arms to arrest and confine her. Under the Constitution, the House can do that under its “inherent contempt” authority, which was initially exercised in 1795 during the First Congress and on multiple occasions thereafter. Lerner could be held until January 2015 when a new Congress is seated, which could issue another subpoena and throw her in the clink again if she still balks at testifying.
According to a 2012 Congressional Research Service report, inherent contempt has the unique advantage that it doesn’t require “the cooperation or assistance of either the executive or judicial branches. The House or Senate can, on its own, conduct summary proceedings and cite the offender for contempt.” The prospect of an eight or nine month stretch in the congressional slammer might have a sobering effect on Lerner. On the other hand, neither the House nor the Senate has used this authority since 1935, according to the CRS report, because the process can be “unseemly” and time-consuming.”
http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-editorial-lois-lerner-could-go-to-jail-in-contempt-clash/article/2546356
Congress doesn’t need Eric Holder. But it does need for Crying John to grow a set.
I’m glad you brought back to mind Watergate.
This point brought back a memory of those tapes: In an email Lois Lerner also suggested the possibility of her getting a job with the DC office of Obama’s Organizing for Action. It’s conjectured that it might have been a joke. Obama also “joked” about using the IRS to audit his enemies.
Recall this one:
Nixon, speaking to John Dean about paying Howard Hunt and Jeb Magruder and the other break-in planners and perps, said this:
Dean noticed something and asked:
In Obama’s case it is the ”we were just joking” defense.
In Nixon’s case he knew where the taping recorders were and wanted it on that record that he was aginst raising that money.
Next Nixon tried something on Dean that Obama has mastered…..drawing out the investigation.
He said:
To which Dean replied with a now famous phrase:
Obama is counting on the Senate to not convict him even IF the House impeaches him.
Just like Bill Clinton.
But in Obama’s case the charges are much more serious than Bill’s lying under oath.
Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…Beeennghazi!!!…IRS!!!!!…
Lol, you got nothing.
Darrell Issa Tries Tactic In IRS Probe Last Used In McCarthyism
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/darrell-issa-mccarthy_n_5115014.html
Aw, poor Elijah. He almost dodged it. If only he could have gotten the investigations shut down last month. He might have skated by, ending on a high note of blaming racism for the ongoing investigation. Now, it has come out he is a liar. Shocking.
And, if Lerner goes is convicted of anything, Obama will, of course, pardon her. BUT, the primary thing is to expose the truth. We all know, in our heart of hearts, justice will NOT be done other than knowing the kind of people they are and, hopefully, being able to associate future con artists (hello, Hillary) with their tactics.
Lois Lerner was appointed by Bush as was the IRS Commisioner (5 year term). Lerner’s husband is an attorney with a republican law firm in DC which is a major GOP fundraiser think lerner’s going to jail ?
This is Kabuki theater.
@John:
Embattled IRS official Lois Lerner’s husband’s law firm has strong Obama connections
Ronald Reagan
@John: Love that line of defense; “Bush nominated her”. Bush’s fault. What a surprise. Reminds me of the defense of the failure of Obamacare that it was based on a Heritage Foundation concept.
The bottom line is, in both cases, the Democrats are the ones that did the deed. Note that Lerner didn’t target any groups, conservative or liberal, until Obama became President and that sort of thinking became the norm.
@DrJohn: Oh, Doc, they know what is so… they just don’t like it. So, it becomes necessary to create their own little reality and then are nice enough to invite us in. As long as it becomes OUR reality as well.
I have never seen an administration just so corrupt from Obama down………
@Scott in Oklahoma: What do you mean “look like idiots” and why would it take so long — pretty damm clear to me and has been for many years
@James Raider: there are a hell of a lot more involved than these three
@Budvarakbar: #11,
No doubt, including those who financed these characters, but Jarrett and Holder control the levers of the power machine that rests in the hands of the Administration under the Constitution, plus they are breaching beyond anything ever contemplated by the framers or anyone since. One word from them sends legions of obedient loons into action, as were seeing with the IRS, for example.
Lerner is a wind up doll “I plead the 5th” “I plead the 5th” etc. etc.
Complicit Cummings wants to shut things down. Its unfair. Whats next- the race card. The next step is Holder. Lol.
Domestic agencies have armed themselves and the military is being gutted. Nazi Germany would be proud of this set up. Your country is in big trouble. Freedom loving people around the world are in big trouble.
@annie:
The Dims are trying to set a new standard of how many corrupt politicians can be in one party at one time. Seems as if they’re shooting for “all of them”.
@This one: Strawman much. Resist we much. Its a target rich environment. The opposition is inept and stonewalled. You need a sense of reality.
@This one: You’ve seen the Cummings email, apparently, showing how he more or less directed the IRS to target a law-abiding group, then funneled the information back to him, which he lied about during the hearings. Obviously, since it is the most likely the reason for your display of abject desperation.
And this, apparently, is what Issa finds suggestive:
That’s all, folks. That and Issa said, Issa said, Issa said.
The guy is a joke. His dog-and-pony show has gone down hill. He’s now the ringmaster of a flea circus.
elijya cumming is transparent enough ,
to make the people not like his tongue, on the fist note,
@Greg:
Greg, I guess your point is to show that you didn’t read the post, otherwise you might have found this:
I’m sure that conduct would only be permissive if it were a Republican asking for data on a Dimocrat. Right?
@Redteam, #20:
Yep. I read it.
So tell me, what is the significance of the fact that Elijah Cummings’ office requested copies of True the Vote training material and a copy of their volunteer registration form? Is there something illegal—or even unusual—about such a request?
Are you under the impression that the campaign staffs of those holding elected offices take no interest whatsoever in what organizations that oppose their reelection are doing?
@Greg:
absolutely, they made the requests ‘actually’ demands from the IRS. They made numerous requests for all the details of the people (organization) that was opposed to him. The IRS then turned around and demanded this info from that organization and when they got it, they forwarded it to the opposition. Is there anything wrong with this? legally? Absolutely, it’s a criminal act. Lois Lerner lied about it and said it didn’t happen. That’s perjury, a criminal act. Cummings can legally be removed from office and Lerner can legally be sent to jail. Is there anything wrong about what happened? Business as usual with Dimocrats. Remember ole Slick willie being impeached and losing his law license forever. But he’s a Dimocrat, nothing wrong, business as usual.
What makes you think the IRS turned anything over to Elijah Cummings’ office? What is stated is the following:
Why should we think asking for “virtually identical information” means anything more than that they all asked for the same basic items, such as copies of True the Vote’s training material and copies of their volunteer registration form, as was actually mentioned? I don’t see anything that suggests otherwise. And why doesn’t the fact that they each requested the same basic information independently of one another suggest that they weren’t sharing information?
You’re simply making the interpretations you want to make and drawing the conclusions that you want to draw. Those interpretations and conclusions don’t actually follow from any known facts. Having no evidence of anything whatsoever, you’re already talking about criminal acts and removal from office.
The fact of the matter is that Issa’s flea circus has yet to produce a shred of credible evidence supporting any of the many accusations he has made about anyone. That’s the case with each and every scandal he’s thus far attempted to cook up.
@Greg: There’s at least as much evidence here, as Anita Hill had on Clarence Thomas.
And I thought that “the seriousness of the charges” compelled an investigation back then. Sauce for the goose … sauce for the gander.
The fact of the matter is, Progressives don’t want to admit that their opponents could EVER be credible, even if that denial comes at the expense of intellectual honesty, because it might lead to credible criticism that would harsh Progressives’ mellow about their own choices in life.
@Greg:
because they have now admitted it.
Open your eyes.
I guess you haven’t been keeping up, all this has now been confirmed.
you really aren’t keeping up, are you. it has now been confirmed by both cummings office and the IRS.. slam dunk.
@Redteam:
Not to mention that Cummings personally sent letters to True The Vote, which their lawyer has.
What’s next? Is Cummings going to complain that he didn’t really send those letters to TTV and it was just some rogue receptionist in a Minneapolis office?
@Redteam, #25:
You’re saying that the IRS and/or Cummings’ have now admitted to some exchange of confidential documents or information regarding Truth the Vote? If so, I have indeed missed that development. Do you have a link to a source that details what it was that they have admitted to?
I assume you must be talking about some documents other than Truth the Vote’s Form 990, which is in no way restricted from disclosure to a congressman’s staff or to anyone else. Form 990 is in fact supposed to be available for public inspection. That’s one of the document’s intended purposes. It says so on the face of the form.
@retire05, #26:
Why shouldn’t he have sent Truth the Vote a letter? A congressman is allowed to send a letter. Was there something somehow inappropriate about the content?
In the midst of Cummings’ harassment Catherine Engelbrecht got hit with numerous IRS audits PLUS audits from OSHA PLUS the BATF.
The freaking BATF.
You really have to be a damn idiot not to see collusion for this abuse here.
@Greg:The U.S. House Oversight Committee today released emails between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Democrat Minority Leader Elijah Cummings of the same committee detailing joint attempts to collect non-public information from True the Vote.
Redacted emails also demonstrate a working relationship between Rep. Cummings and embattled IRS official Lois Lerner. Lerner’s staff later supplied copies of True the Vote’s IRS Form 990 prior to TTV’s approval as a designated 501(c)(3) organization. Much more here: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/04/09/New-Emails-Suggest-Collusion-Betwee-IRS
Redacted because what is contained is confidential.
If it was confidential from the IRS then Cummings had no business getting it.
If it was ”non-public information,” again, Cummings had no business getting it.
Arguing with a prog troll is pointless. When the crooks of this regime are frog marched to jail the progs will comment on how well their handcuffs match their clothes.
@This one:
We could use some McCarthyism right about now.
@Greg:
Once again we find the Collective’s parrotings a poor simulacrum for reality.
As always, this is why it’s so important to openly dismiss and ignore the ramblings of Collective drones, who consistently have no idea what they are talking about, even when given talking point directives such as this:
The potential for Mr. Cummings to serve 5 years in prison, is hardly fodder for the posturing of some dog and pony show. Besides, leftist intimidation of their political adversaries is hardly a new or surprising story.
Instead of giving Greg’s nonsense any face value legitimacy, let’s go directly to the historical record instead.
Here’s Issa’s letter:
http://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-09-OGR-Chairmen-to-EEC-True-the-Vote.pdf
Can anyone tell me the difference, between Issa’s letter, and Greg’s claims?
@Nanny G:
From the Breitbart article:
According to the release obtained by Breitbart Texas, House Oversight offered glimpses into coordinated fishing attempts for information:
That’s the same assertion we had before.
Regarding the letters to the IRS from Cummings and multiple Congressmen, they’re doing nothing more than requesting that the IRS do its job. Writing a letter asking the IRS to do its job isn’t collusion.
True the Vote is a 501(c)(3) organization. That tax exempt status allows donors to write off their contributions. That status is legally available only to organizations that meet specific requirements clearly spelled out in the law. Political action group do not qualify. Anyone thinking that True the Vote is not a political action group is either deluded or simple-minded. Failure of the IRS to look into the qualifications of such an organization would be nothing less than negligence.
Catherine Engelbrecht posturing as an injured party, as a victim of the IRS, is absurd. The woman is president of an organization that is claiming a tax exempt status it doesn’t qualify for. She’s facilitating other people who are claiming tax exemptions based on contributions to an organization that doesn’t qualify for them. And here we have an Congressional investigative committee, which supposedly serves the interests of the public and upholds the law, going after its political enemies based on the fact that they’ve raised this matter of illegality with the IRS. They sent letters.
@Greg: You’re wrong this time, Greg.
True the Vote is non-partisan.
True the Vote is interested in things like why some precincts manage to have more than 100% of all adults in their population (not all of them registered, either) voting.
Some precincts had more than 120% of their over 18 years olds vote.
There is noting partisan about it.
Edited to add:
I am VP of the Republican party in my precinct and therefore not allowed to join True the Vote.
@Nanny G:
I attended the first True The Vote Summit. I was fortunate to meet Andrew Breitbart, John Fund and Anita Moncreif, who has started the Crispus Attucks Tea Party in Houston (and a woman who, had she been treated like she was by Republicans, it would have been front page news).
The tables were set up to seat eight. Since there were only three of us from my area attending, we were seated with people we didn’t know. Turns out the other five were Democrats from Goliad, Texas who were upset about the very thing you mentioned. Basically, they were upset over “vote miners” who caused other Democrats to lose primaries.
So for Greggie to claim it is a “political” organization when he has never been associated with it is not only laughable, but shows what a political parrot he really is.
@Nanny G:
You don’t “join” True The Vote. They are an educational organization that teaches volunteers how to make sure voter rolls are correct. You have to live in the voting district where you examine the voter registrations to make sure they are legitimate, and current, according to, and in keeping with, federal law.
But people like Greggie think that somehow there is some magic formula for being able to tell is a person is a minority on their voter registration records.
@Nanny G:
I believe Greg may be suggesting that True the Vote is non-partisan and independent, in the same way that ACORN or Battleground Texas or OFA or other activist organizations claim to be non-partisan and independent.
In any case, over-italicizing indicates that Greg may be on the cusp of hulking out. Maybe we should give him a rest for the weekend.
Greg, why do you suppose True the Vote was so high on Cumming’s list? Why wasn’t he interested in finding more about Media Matters, a tax-free organization that is supposed to watch over all media bias but has been waging a one sided war against Fox News (until MM surrendered and declared victory) and spread liberal only propaganda?
@Greg: They eventually granted the tax free status. They just had to harass them first, gather their information and feed it to liberal campaigns.
In other words, they illegally harassed a group that was well within its rights simply because it was conservative.
@retire05, #36:
Opinions vary:
Part 1: What’s the Truth about True the Vote?
From Part 2, True the Vote’s True Agenda:
The DOJ and IRS later granted the organization tax exempt status. I’m still not clear why they did so.
The two-part article was written by Abby Rapaport. I believe she’s also from Texas.
the right to vote is threaten, he said,
because there is more corruption and corrupts at work to destroy AMERICA,
@Greg: 27
Greg, it does you a disservice to pretend that you don’t know that Cummings demanded the info on Truth the Votes activities from the IRS, and that the IRS then demanded that info from Truth the Vote and then forwarded it to Cummings. So while the info was legally available to the public, it was not legally demanded from the IRS as a service to a Dimocrat congressman.
I know you hate to admit that Cummings got caught in an illegal activity, but go ahead and admit it and you’ll feel better about yourself in the morning.
Here’s an important article with regards to the problems that True the Vote is attempting to correct:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/04/voter_fraud_the_lefts_tool_for_social_justice.html
What evidence has been presented that this is what actually happened? The accusers are only saying what this or that suggests. As in, The yellow color of the moon tonight suggests it might be made of cheese.
There’s not a single, solitary shred of evidence establishing that Cummings did anything illegal in connection with True the Vote.
@Kraken, #44:
I can’t put much stock in a website run by people who are so abysmally dense they don’t even realize they’ve headed the page with a picture that looks like Uncle Sam sitting on a post-colonial crapper.
Not to mention the fact that Matthew Vadum’s article itself is a load of crap. There’s no evidence for his assertion that “double voting is distressingly common.” Anyone who genuinely believes the facts cited in the linked P J Tatler article are evidence of widespread voting fraud has got to be a bit simple. All they’re actually evidence of is poor voter roll management.
@Greg:
ROTFLMAO
Really, Greggie, when you think you have got a “gotcha”, you would be wise to research the sources you want to use. Texans for Public Justice (there is that socialist word “justice”) is nothing more than a shadow group for the Texas Democratic Party. It was started with seed money from George Soros and Mrs. John Kerry’s Tides Foundation. It is supported by some of the wealthiest tort lawyers in Texas.
@Greg:
You still think the moon is made of cheese? hmmmm……
@Greg:
Well, I’ll be damned, you finally got something right Greg. You are right, there is not a single, solitary shred of evidence. There is a whole damn ton of it and you’ve seen it.
@Redteam: Naw — you are wrong there — these lib trolls are two thirds of the “hear no evil”, “see no evil” triad — the fools tho just cannot shut up and run off their mouths continuously — the third part of the triad completely escapes them: “speak no evil”