IRS Scandal

I've only kept a casual eye on the ongoing IRS scandal, never caring enough to pay close attention to any specific case.  That is until yesterday, when I saw one of the few pundits whom I respect, George Will, setting for the facts of the case that his own attorney is handling for the plaintiffs.  The charges should chill the spine of every American irrespective of party affiliation.

True the Vote, run by Catherine Englebrecht, trains election volunteers and seeks to eliminate voter fraud -- noble goals both -- applied for tax exempt status in July, 2010.  Another entity with ties to the Tea Party, King Street Patriots, also founded by Ms. Englebrecht, filed its application with that of True the Vote. Shortly after filing the applications, the groups allege, they were hit with the following from the federal government: Six FBI domestic terrorism inquiries, an IRS visit, two IRS business audits, two IRS personal audits and inspections of her equipment manufacturing company by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ("ATF") and the U.S. Department of Labor Occupationsl Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") and Texas environmental quality officials.

Now, call me a cynic, but the occurrence of those visits, audits and inspections so shortly after the applications were filed is suspicious at best, actionable at worst.  Whether the groups targeted are liberal or conservative, this is simply wrong.  But with this President, there's nothing fishy whatsoever.

First, he said in an interview over the weekend that the problems with the IRS were the result of a few boneheaded decisions made in Cincinnati.  If that were the case, the applications filed nearly four years ago would be resolved one way or the other by now.  Private business understands bad press and rectifies the problem expeditiously unless it has boneheads running the show.  Draw your own conclusions as to why these matters still remain unresolved.

Part of it is that the government doesn't seem to worry about bad press.  This is partisan politics at its sleeziest.  Perhaps if the attacks had been a little less obvious, a little...fewer...this wouldn't be so objectionable.  It's one thing to have IRS audits, but to have ATF and OSHA inspections?  Seriously?  Why is the administration so blatantly trying to suppress its opponents?  What does it fear?

Were the shoe on the other foot, liberals would be screaming bloody murder.  There would be calls for independent investigations, special counsels and heaven knows what else.  And those calls would be justified, just as they are here.  But to have the administration investigating itself, to have the investigations drag on for four years, and to have the IRS deny comment, hiding behind the privacy concerns of the aggrieved party -- True the Vote -- is simply ludicrous.

When he was elected, the President promised transparency.  We've gotten precious little transparency.  I know I'm beating the same, old, tired drum, but this is straight out of the Chicago political playbook, from the actual audits and investigations themselves, to the stonewalling on the resolution of the applications to the types of investigations launched at the groups in the first place.  This doesn't pass the sniff test.

What can be done about it?  Very little until the next elections.  With new blood, boiling because of the last six years of bad government, the legislature could launch any number of independent investigations that the Democrats seem disinterested in providing.  Hopefully, in its lust for payback, the Republicans will hold a tight rein on their emotions and not go overboard.  Perhaps an independent investigation will show no malfeasance, which would shock me.  The President and his minions have handed the conservatives yet another loaded weapon with which to destroy the Democrats.  It should be used wisely.

Partisan politics has gotten out of control.  I'm quite sure that were the roles reversed, there would be abuses coming from the other side of the aisle.  My hope is that the Republicans and conservatives in general are not only collecting injustices but taking note.  Santayana's dictum is always in play, especially in politics.

It's something that this administration seems to have forgotten.

(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles