Silencing the Truth at the IRS

National Journal:

Rude and bullying, Rep. Darrell Issa silenced the microphone of Rep. Elijah Cummings during a congressional hearing into the IRS’ targeting of tea party groups. “Mr. Chairman,” the Democrat fumed as Republican Issa walked away, “what are you hiding?”

Issa didn’t answer. “He’s taking the Fifth, Elijah,” Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly joked, a reference to the committee’s reluctant witness, former IRS official Lois Lerner, who refused again to explain the agency’s actions, citing her constitutional right not to self-incriminate. Partisans rejoice!

• Conservatives are applauding Issa for shutting down a Democrat. Without evidence, the Right has convicted Lerner, the IRS, the White House, and President Obama of abuse of power.

• Liberals are applauding Cummings for standing up to Issa. Without evidence, the Left exonerated everybody. The fact that liberal nonprofits also were targeted is relevant, but not conclusive.

To the rest of the country, the “investigations” of the IRS—self-serving inquiries conducted separately by the GOP House and the Obama administration—are partisan jokes. We still don’t know the facts. We still have no reason to trust the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the IRS, Congress, or the White House.

Rather than a political circus like the one disguising itself as a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing Wednesday, a credible Congress would jointly agree to:

1. Grant immunity to Lerner for her sworn testimony about the IRS’s targeting of political groups.What was done, why, and under whose orders?

2. Demand from the administration every IRS and White House document pertaining to the IRS tea-party probes, including emails, text messages, meeting notes, and diaries. If the White House has legal grounds to duck its promise of transparency, a joint Democratic-GOP demand would create insurmountable political pressure.

3. Embrace the new rule for 501(c)(4) nonprofits. The root of this controversy is a law that says nonprofits needs to “exclusively” focus on social welfare to be tax-exempt. The IRS inexcusably ruled that social welfare must be the groups’ “primary focus,” creating a loophole that both parties have abused. Groups such as Crossroads GPS, created by former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, and the liberal-leaning Patriot Majority are blatantly political—to the point that they are replicating, if not replacing, the traditional roles of the Democratic and Republican parties. Now that a chastened IRS is trying to close the loophole, partisans on the right and left are objecting.

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