33 thoughts on “The “Phony” IRS Scandal”

  1. Should we start some kind of betting pool to see how many nanoseconds it takes Baghdad Jim to get here with the party-line defense?

  3. The GOP wants it both ways: they want criminal prosecutions of IRS officials, but when TIGTA follows the procedures for documents relevant to criminal investigations they complain that they’re being stonewalled.

    The GOP continues to bat .000 in Obama scandal investigations.

    1. Um,

      “This request has unearthed the operation of a shadow immigration system previously unknown to the American public,” said Sessions, one of Capitol Hill’s most outspoken critics of President Obama’s immigration policy. “A full investigation is warranted.”

      http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/07/obama-administration-issues-55-million-work-permits-to-non-citizens-that/
      This is certainly a scandal.

      Oh, I get it. It’s not illegal if you desire the outcome! Yes, you’re right. Batting 000!

      1. What a great example of GOP scandal whack-a-mole. If yesterday’s “scandal” is going nowhere, just change the subject and start hyping a new one! That way the administration is perpetually “scandal-plagued”, even though all of the temporary scandals eventually fizzled for lack of any actual criminal wrongdoing.

        2. Hardly. Fast and Furious was a scandal whether you like it or not. The IRS Scandal is a scandal.

          Whether you like it or not.

          1. Whether you like it or not.

            Exactly: you have your own subjective definition of scandal, and it doesn’t depend on objective criteria like whether there’s evidence of illegal acts that will hold up in a court of law. That mindset lets you enjoy a pleasing world in which politicians you oppose are always covered in scandal. Just don’t confuse that world with reality.

        3. From Wikipedia:

          On December 4, 2012, the ATF Professional Review Board delivered its recommendations to high-level ATF managers, who will decide whether to accept them. The recommendations included firing William McMahon, ATF Deputy Assistant Director; Mark Chait, ATF Assistant Director for Field Operations; William Newell, Phoenix ATF Special Agent in Charge; and George Gillett, Newell’s second in command. Two additional ATF employees, Phoenix supervisor David Voth and lead agent Hope McAllister, received recommendations for demotion and disciplinary transfer to another ATF post, respectively.[123][124] It was reported the next day that McMahon had been fired. It was also announced that Gary Grindler, Eric Holder’s chief of staff who was faulted in the OIG report, would be leaving the Justice Department.[120] Later that month, the family of Brian Terry sued seven government officials and a gun shop involved in Operation Fast and Furious for negligence and wrongful death.[125]

          Gosh, sounds like wrongful doing there.

          1. See if you can tell the difference between career government employees being disciplined for doing a terrible job and members of an administration being criminally charged with abusing their power for personal or political gain.

            To review, a real White House scandal has three elements:

            1) Clear, usually criminal, wrongdoing
            2) Committed by top members of the administration
            3) For illegitimate personal or political gain

            Watergate was a scandal. Iran-Contra was a scandal. Bill Clinton’s grand jury testimony was a scandal. Scooter Libby’s grand jury testimony was a scandal.

            Obama hasn’t had a real White House scandal, at least not that we know of, despite a scandal-mongering rightist media and five years of House GOP investigations.

          2. 1) Clear, usually criminal, wrongdoing
            2) Committed by top members of the administration
            3) For illegitimate personal or political gain

            Valerie Plame?
            Scooter Libby?

          3. You are imposing your own definition of scandal. However, any self respecting journalist would say fast and furious is a scandal. They only reason they don’t is because the state fellators are running the mainstream media.

          4. Holder lied about Fast and Furious. The DoJ initially claimed not gun walking at all. It wasn’t until investigative journalist found a careerist willing to go on camera and say “I did it” in terms of allowing gun walking, that the administration was forced to admit gun walking occurred. The whistleblower careerist was punished, but he wasn’t the person that dreamed up Fast and Furious. We still do not know who that was or their motives for the scheme. To that end, Holder, a non-careerist member of the administration, was held in contempt, and should be tried criminally, but isn’t because the careerist in the DoJ are failing to prosecute a member of the administration.

          5. Scooter Libby?

            The Libby case meets all three criteria:

            1) Libby lied to FBI investigators and a grand jury (a felony)
            2) Libby was the vice-president’s chief of staff
            3) Libby lied to cover up the fact that he’d told a journalist about Plame being a CIA operative, as part of the White House’s political pushback against Plame’s husband

            any self respecting journalist would say fast and furious is a scandal

            What high-level administration official broke the law for an illegitimate political or personal purpose?

          6. Libby lied to cover up the fact that he’d told a journalist about Plame being a CIA operative, as part of the White House’s political pushback against Plame’s husband

            Why do you repeat bullshit?

            It was Richard Armitage who “outed” Plame, not Libby.

          7. Holder lied about Fast and Furious.

            He said something that wasn’t true, and then later corrected his statement. There’s no evidence that he knew his initial statement was incorrect. There’s nothing criminal there.

            Holder, a non-careerist member of the administration, was held in contempt,

            Nothing more than a political attack by the GOP.

            and should be tried criminally

            On what charge? Making GOP politicians and Fox News pundits mad isn’t a crime.

          8. It was Richard Armitage who “outed” Plame, not Libby.

            Libby told Judith Miller that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA, and then lied to the FBI and a grand jury about having done so. His conversations with Miller were authorized by the Vice President, as part of the political response to Wilson’s anti-administration op-ed.

            The fact that Libby wasn’t the only person to talk about Plame’s CIA status to a journalist is irrelevant. Libby committed a felony for political motives.

          9. Libby told Judith Miller that Wilson’s wife worked at the CIA, and then lied to the FBI and a grand jury about having done so. His conversations with Miller were authorized by the Vice President, as part of the political response to Wilson’s anti-administration op-ed.

            Bullshit.

    3. The GOP wants it both ways: they want criminal prosecutions of IRS officials, but when TIGTA follows the procedures for documents relevant to criminal investigations they complain that they’re being stonewalled.

      I have a suggestion. TIGTA can promptly follow those procedures rather than drag their heels. Then the GOP gets criminal prosecutions and you get your proper procedures, and everyone who is not a crook is happy.

  4. The GOP continues to bat .000 in Obama scandal investigations.

    Sadly true. Which means govt. bad, not govt. good, Jim. Just because our govt. is run by clowns, does not mean they are not also crooks, liars and all around bad guys. This is why having foxes guard hen houses is not a good idea. Basically they’re all on the same team against the people.

    If you are suggesting there is no there, there… I fart in your direction.

    1. If you are suggesting there is no there, there

      If there was one-tenth as much there, as you seem to believe, there would have been indictments by now. These investigations aren’t about upholding the law, they’re about scoring political points and playing to the gullible Fox News audience.

      1. If there was one-tenth as much there, as you seem to believe, there would have been indictments by now.

        We aren’t stupid enough to think that Eric Holder is ever going to indict anyone in this administration.

        1. I can’t think of any federal investigation that’s gathered sufficiently incriminating evidence to even get to the stage of asking for Holder’s approval to issue an indictment. And of course there haven’t been state indictments — which Holder has no say over — either. Nor does anyone expect Holder’s retirement to prompt a flurry of prosecutions of administration officials.

          The notable absence of prosecutions of Obama administration officials isn’t about Eric Holder. That’s just a weak excuse for political opponents who can’t deal with the cognitive dissonance of the Obama administration turning out to be the cleanest in recent history.

          3. …the Obama administration turning out to be the cleanest in recent history.

            Don’t forget most transparent and messianic. Now all they need to do is run out the clock.

  5. “I can’t figure out if you’re just lying, or delusional.”

    I’ve found that with “liberals” (and by that I mean of course “tax-happy, coercion-addicted, power-tripping State-fellators”) it’s usually a combination of both. For example, their economics theories are delusional, which leads them to lie about the results.

    1. For example, their economics theories are delusional, which leads them to lie about the results.

      I would tend to agree, except one thing. Have you ever seen how personally rich liberal politicians get despite the harm to their constituents? The LIV are probably delusional, but the politicians they are voting in know the score and are making bank.

      1. I suspect, Leland, that the real-world economics acumen probably belongs to their business and investment advisors, rather than to the “liberal” pols themselves.

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