Archives for 2014

White House Press Secretary grilled on the IRS potentially sharing taxpayer records with the White House

Investors Business Daily: Will ‘Lost’ IRS Emails Reveal A Corrupt White House?

Read the full story: Investors Business Daily

This discovery came from a lawsuit by the group Cause of Action, which has sought release of all documents related to IRS targeting of conservative groups.

 

Under court pressure, some of the documents were scheduled to be released Dec. 1 and the rest by Dec. 15.

 

In an email from the Department of Justice’s tax office requesting a delay in the delivery date of the formerly “lost” documents, it noted that TIGTA “has located 2,500 potentially responsive documents” and needed extra time “to make any necessary withholdings.”

 

“Potentially responsive” means they could relate to the release of private taxpayer information by the IRS to administration officials, including the White House. As Vice President Joe Biden might say, this could be a very big deal indeed.

Lawyer for John Yates Thanks Cause of Action

Read the letter here.

Thank You Letter to Cause of Action by Cause of Action

Washington Free Beacon: Records on Taxpayer Leaks to White House to Be Released

Read the full story: Washington Free Beacon

On Monday the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) informed the watchdog group Cause of Action that it will turn over nearly 2,500 documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the group.

 

In a statement, Cause of Action said the number of documents “signals that the White House may have made significant efforts to obtain taxpayers’ personal information.”

The Blaze: Officials to Cough Up Documents That Could Show the IRS Gave Private Taxpayer Data to the White House

Read the full story: The Blaze

But TIGTA never released a report, and that prompted the group Cause of Action to file a Freedom of Information Act request to see the result of its work. TIGTA refused to even confirm its investigation, but in September, a judge said TIGTA officials had to comply with the request from Cause of Action.

 

Cause of Action said Tuesday that it expects to receive up to 2,500 separate documents that could show improper links between the White House and the IRS, and that it expects to receive those documents by mid-December.

Power Line: THE IRS SCANDAL REARS ITS HEAD

Read the full story: Power Line

Years later, the judicial system may be poised to expose another layer of Obama corruption. A group called Cause of Action began a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Department of the Treasury, and for several years, your taxpayer dollars have funded the administration’s cover-up.

 

But nothing lasts forever, and a federal court in Washington, D.C. has finally overruled the Treasury Department’s frivolous objections, and ordered Treasury to respond to Cause of Action’s request for documents. That request relates to the Department’s Inspector General’s investigation–which began a long time ago, and probably has long been concluded–and asks for “[a]ll documents pertaining to any investigation by [TIGTA] into the unauthorized disclosure of [26 U.S.C.] §6103 ‘return information’ to anyone in the Executive Office of the President.”

Roll Call: Et tu, DOJ? Will Loretta Lynch Ignore IRS Fraud as AG as She Did in Her Own Backyard?

Et tu, DOJ? Will Loretta Lynch Ignore IRS Fraud as AG as She Did in Her Own Backyard?

By Dan Epstein

Nov. 26, 2014, 5 a.m.

On November 7, 2011, Congressman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., sent a letter to Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch echoing his concerns about a former ACORN group, “New York Communities for Change” and its alleged “fraud through its participation in the Occupy Wall Street protests.” Issa asked Lynch to investigate potential fraud by the progressive nonprofit group. Lynch, to date, has failed to take action.

Lynch has a history of failing to investigate progressive-leaning nonprofit groups.

In 2013, U.S. Attorney Lynch testified before the Moreland Commission — set up by Governor Andrew Cuomo to investigate corruption — detailing her successful prosecution of several corrupt New York public officials. Despite numerous allegations in the press about fraud relating to Representative Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., and connected nonprofits, Meeks was never indicted even though at least one of these nonprofits was subpoenaed by Lynch’s office and Rep. Meeks was subject to a House Ethics investigation. Lynch has, however, successfully indicted Republican Rep. Michael G. Grimm.

Since 2009, Congressman Issa led the congressional investigation into ACORN. Bertha Lewis, who rose to become ACORN’s President, had her office at 24 Nevins Street in Brooklyn, New York, which was also home to ACORN Housing Corporation, Mutual Housing Association of New York, and the Working Families Party — all affiliates of ACORN and all eventually defunded by the federal government after numerous federal Inspector General and congressional investigations. Today, New York Communities for Change is housed at 24 Nevins Street.

Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was roundly criticized for firing U.S. Attorneys who refused to investigate allegations of fraud by groups like ACORN — an issue that hastened his resignation. Now, it appears we’re honoring that legacy by promoting a lawyer who ignored clear evidence of misconduct that occurred under her watch. At least we know what we’re getting in America’s next top law enforcement official.

Dan Epstein is executive director of Cause of Action, a nonpartisan nonprofit government oversight group.