White House defends IRS handling, McConnell asserts 'culture of intimidation'

White House defends IRS handling, McConnell asserts 'culture of intimidation'

President Barack Obama's team emerged on Sunday to defend his handling of revelations that the IRS had targeted conservative groups for scrutiny, as senior Republicans conceded they lacked evidence — so far — that the president directed the abuses.
McConnell also could not point to evidence of presidential involvement in the IRS's scrutinizing of conservatives, though the Kentucky senator argued that a need for more information justified emerging investigations into the controversy.
"I don't think we know what the facts are," he said, appearing separately on "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "The investigation has just begun, so I'm not going to reach a conclusion about what we may find."

Once again Republicans are screaming about things they have no proof of happening. Many of the groups that were "targeted" received exemptions that they shouldn't have gotten. It is the job of the IRS to find these groups and stop the fraud. McConnell may be right about the WH being a culture of intimidation but it's beginning to look like the Republicans are becoming a culture of misinformation.

reply to post by buster2010


The proof of it happening is self evident, testified to by IRS people themselves and further talked about by some of those same IRS employees, currently on and out of service. We know, for instance, that hundreds of groups were targeted ..and that word, targeted, was used as well as implied within offices of the IRS from coast to coast.

We know now, the General Counsel to the IRS knew about this, or parts of it, as far back as 2011....and before others told Congress under Oath, no such thing was happening or could happen.

What we don't know is probably the least important part. Did Barack Obama, as an individual man, direct or even know about it? Well....to suggest he directed it would be foolish to the level of leadership that comes from a President in the first place. Of course he didn't direct it. It's on of thousands of areas he delegates people for, on general guidelines of outcome he expects to see happen.

Did he know about it? There again, least important.....except for how knowledge without consequence may have encouraged more to happen.

I want heads ...but I want the heads of the IRS people that staffed offices all over this nation to account for the hundreds of targeted groups. Again, targeted, by the descriptions of those who did it. If Obama wants to lead the charge to clean his own house? Great! More power to him...if CLEANING is the goal and not just a 'light turn' with some dusting around the furniture. If that is all? Well....They invented Special Prosecutors for precisely this sort of thing.

Originally posted by buster2010
Once again Republicans are screaming about things they have no proof of happening.

Really? Still on that republican vs democrat thing? It's only been a couple of days since the news of this broke.
Obama can't continue to block the facts on 5 or 6 scandals at once .... it'll all come out.

reply to post by buster2010

Once again Republicans

Once again, The USA 2 parties sytem is fake. All donkeys and elephants obey higher interests

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Originally posted by buster2010
Once again Republicans are screaming about things they have no proof of happening.

Really? Still on that republican vs democrat thing? It's only been a couple of days since the news of this broke.
Obama can't continue to block the facts on 5 or 6 scandals at once .... it'll all come out.

When you have Republicans complaining against Democrats then yes it is a Republican vs Democrat thing. That should have been obvious. 5 or 6 scandals or 5 or 6 accusations that can't be proven?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

The proof of it happening is self evident, testified to by IRS people themselves and further talked about by some of those same IRS employees, currently on and out of service. We know, for instance, that hundreds of groups were targeted ..and that word, targeted, was used as well as implied within offices of the IRS from coast to coast.

Where is the proof Obama told them to do this? People are being mislead into believing that he did without any proof of the fact.

Originally posted by buster2010
When you have Republicans complaining against Democrats then yes it is a Republican vs Democrat thing. That should have been obvious.

You spit at the republicans for wanting to know the truth of the situation.
But if the Obama administration hadn't have screwed up, the Republicans
wouldn't be on the war path to get to get the facts.
And go ahead and tell me that if it were a Republican president up to his
eyeballs in all this scandal and drama and potential illegality, that the
democrats wouldn't be doing the same ... or even going after the POTUS
harder. Can you say that with a straight face? No. I didn't think so.

5 or 6 scandals or 5 or 6 accusations that can't be proven?

Again .. most of those just came out in the past week or so.
You want instant information but it takes a while to wade through
the muck being thrown by the White House.

What's the problem with people wanting to get to the truth of the situation?
Are you afraid of where it will lead?
You should be glad that people want to find out the truth.
Find the truth = helping to make sure it doesn't happen again.

reply to post by buster2010


I'd imagine we ought to agree then, behind these politicians are career level Gov't employees with a GS rank, right? Outside of the appointees, they started long before Obama came. They will be there, sans investigations, long after Obama leaves ...and they train all who follow them.

These are the people we need to demand be held accountable, and to the last person. I don't know if they vote Republican or Democrat and I absolutely DO NOT CARE. Nor do the family of the 4 dead out of Libya or the Tea Party groups who might have had influence over a very close election...if ever given a fair chance under our system. They'll never know though, because bean counters from Cincinnati to Los Angeles insure their applications would take forever....their audits would come with a vicious edge.

Well... That isn't Partisan and I'll be shocked if the little r's and d's don't fall together...should we EVER get past the nonsense distraction of "Obama did it! Oh no he didn't! Oh yes he did!" to get to those scores of people who made the decisions that formed the scandals. Those people who personally and DIRECTLY turned down requests for Marine Support at Libya (WELL BEFORE men died) or personally chose which applications to audit half to death.

Distraction by political party and not on individuals is how the next Republican President will do AS much or WORSE.....and we'll all be here to remind those who let this slide ..HOW that came to happen the next time.

So in other words corruption is acceptable as long as its coming from the government itself, or occurs interest groups, the banking system and the Federal Reserve.

Can anybody see the hypocrisycy here?

I think the damage control groups are run by people as incompetent as the President himself

Originally posted by buster2010
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

The proof of it happening is self evident, testified to by IRS people themselves and further talked about by some of those same IRS employees, currently on and out of service. We know, for instance, that hundreds of groups were targeted ..and that word, targeted, was used as well as implied within offices of the IRS from coast to coast.

Where is the proof Obama told them to do this? People are being mislead into believing that he did without any proof of the fact.

You're the one focused on Obama as if it's the only man in the nation who bears responsibility or guilt.

It *IS* Obama's fault as the Captain of this ship...as the Executive Branch with all it's agencies are his direct and full responsibility. (Perhaps if he wasn't campaigning EVERY SINGLE DAY, somewhere on some topic? He'd find time to manage his own house)

As previously stated tho. Focusing on Obama insures no one below him will get nailed for what they've done. Not the IRS, not AP and sure as hell no Libya. That can't be allowed.....IMO. So, the focus on Obama is foolish, ill conceived and that tops the list of the nice things I can say which assume pure motives for how it's gone so badly, so far.

Proof takes time to be gathered and sorted through. It takes longer and the outrage becomes louder when you have obfuscation and lying and holding back information.

Obama was in campaign mode within a couple of years after his first election. The Tea Party patriots and other groups were organizing and getting stronger....which was their constitutional right, I might add.

The Democratic elite couldn't have that, now could they?! Oh, no. That had to be nipped in the bud, especially since some democrats were supporting the Tea Party movement. All Obama had to say was "find out who these folks are, who is supporting them, how much money is being poured into them, and who they are communicating with".

All he had to do was issue the broad directive and leave it up to his minions and thugs to "get it done" by whatever means they had to use. Remember, he is of the Saul Alinsky cloth that believes the ends justified the means.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by buster2010

 

Distraction by political party and not on individuals is how the next Republican President will do AS much or WORSE.....and we'll all be here to remind those who let this slide ..HOW that came to happen the next time.

I remember when I said here in ATS during the Bush administration that the wrong doings that a president does without repercussions will open the door for those that will come after to do much, much worst.

I was right.

Thanks for bringing that quote, it just prove to me that I was right. Politicians, political parties and such has become an elite that believe themselves to be above the regular citizensry, they can not be held accountable for anything.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

You spit at the republicans for wanting to know the truth of the situation.

hahahaha. That's what you call it?

No, the republicans have been trying so desperately for the past 5 years to find ANY dirt so they can get rid of the black democrat man in the white house. It started with the birth certificate issue and it's been going on ever since....

How can anyone believe any accusation by the Republicans when their tactics are so obvious?

Originally posted by Ghost375

Originally posted by FlyersFan

You spit at the republicans for wanting to know the truth of the situation.

No, the republicans have been trying so desperately for the past 5 years to find ANY dirt so they can get rid of the black democrat man in the white house. It started with the birth certificate issue and it's been going on ever since....

(emphasis mine)

#1. 4 men didn't die in Libya, under Bush. They didn't die there, 5 years ago. They died there on Sept 11, 2012 and leading into a very hard fought election campaign. They died there by the neglect of months....that NO ONE has yet accounted for on ANY level, in ANY way that isn't just "well.. Gee... I didn't know..but someone did! Go ask them!'

#2. Race Card. Never takes long....sadly..and is still being so casually played. Ignorance at it's worst, in my view and in the true sense of that. Barack Obama was born to a White Woman who was as White as the snow across the Kansas fields she grew up in. That makes Obama, physically and genetically, MORE White than he's EVER been Black. His sperm donor Father (and immigration history, reports and investigations leave no nicer way to describe him) contributed the color for the cake.

However, that does not and never will make Obama a black man. Not even close. He's a Mix of the two races, from pure sides of each on the parental lines. So... Can we EVER stop throwing around the race card like it's anything but demonstrations of how little the dealer of it, understands the Racial history of our President? It's a weak argument ...even when basis exists for it. It's pathetic when not even that much can support it.

reply to post by Ghost375


Sadly this time the truth is in the pudding, Obama will either take responsibilities for the scandals or he will go into history no only as the first Black president but also an incompetent one.

He will take the hit.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

#2. Race Card. Never takes long....sadly..and is still being so casually played. Ignorance at it's worst, in my view and in the true sense of that. Barack Obama was born to a White Woman who was as White as the snow across the Kansas fields she grew up in. That makes Obama, physically and genetically, MORE White than he's EVER been Black. His sperm donor Father (and immigration history, reports and investigations leave no nicer way to describe him) contributed the color for the cake.

However, that does not and never will make Obama a black man. Not even close. He's a Mix of the two races, from pure sides of each on the parental lines. So... Can we EVER stop throwing around the race card like it's anything but demonstrations of how little the dealer of it, understands the Racial history of our President? It's a weak argument ...even when basis exists for it. It's pathetic when not even that much can support it.

I had to log in just to give you a star for that one!

I would also like to add, that those whom nonchalantly use the "race card" for nothing more than to protect their Potus are doing nothing more than promoting racism!!!

I know I will have to think twice about voting for another black man/woman for Potus, just because of the FACT, that any redress as to how they run our country will twisted into calling me and others racists! Even though skin color means nothing to me, it are those whom promote racism by these kinds of despicable tactics.....

reply to post by FlyersFan

You spit at the republicans for wanting to know the truth of the situation. But if the Obama administration hadn't have screwed up, the Republicans wouldn't be on the war path to get to get the facts.

No I spit at the ones who do the blaming without any proof of his involvement. It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around.