Republicans hammer new IRS chief over tea party melee

[alp227]

Source: Politico

A chief Republican inquisitor of the Internal Revenue Service tea party controversy hammered the new agency commissioner on Wednesday, accusing him of being more concerned with averting political fallout than cooperating with congressional probes.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and IRS chief John Koskinen sparred over the pace in which the IRS is shipping documents to the panel, one of several probing the matter.

“Does a nonpartisan or nonpolitical agency withhold documents requested during a congressional investigation? The IRS does and did,” the California Republican said, calling the pace of document production “dismal.” “You’ve been more concerned with managing the political fallout.”

Issa repeated a threat to hold Koskinen in contempt of Congress if the documents are not produced to the committee.



Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/irs-chief-john-koskinen-tea-party-105044.html

[Berlum]

1. "Oh yeah, and also Benghazi, Benghazi, Bengazi. Smirk." - Is A Issa (R - Car Their)

"Issa is a total wanker." - Jar Jar Binks

[freshwest]

2. Politico determined to help Issa dig up and throw monkey feces until November! n/t

[meegbear]

3. Meanwhile ...

Pentagon Finds The Repetitious Benghazi Hearings Have Cost Millions
Conservative Media Cheered On Investigations

Relentless investigations into the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya that have been tirelessly cheered on by right-wing media have reportedly cost taxpayers and the Pentagon millions of dollars and wasted thousands of hours of personnel time, according to the Associated Press.

Citing a March 11 Pentagon letter, the AP reported how millions in funding have been funneled away from other Department of Defense responsibilities to "repetitive requests for information from about 50 congressional hearings, briefings and interviews," and the Pentagon determined that &quot t)he total cost of compliance with Benghazi-related congressional requests sent to the department and other agencies is estimated to be in the millions of dollars." The AP cited former commander of U.S. Africa Command Gen. Carter Ham's experience as an example:

(He) has briefed or testified before congressional panels five times over two years, and yet both the Armed Services Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform has (sic) asked Ham to submit to additional interviews.

<snip>

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/03/26/pentagon-finds-the-repetitious-benghazi-hearing/198616

[blackspade]

4. Issa is such a slimey dickbag.

[lsewpershad]

6. That and more

Can't wait to see him put in prison for whatever.

[Dollface]

5. I wonder what IRS could be doing at the end of March that would leave them unable spare people

to pull documents for Mr. Issa. Doesn't he know where his tax return goes after he signs it?

By all means, cut IRS funding then tell them they can spare people to pull another half million pages of useless information. In all, more than 150 IRS employees have worked 70,000 hours taking time away from taxpayer services where they might actually do some good.

Sander Levin called out Republicans for their waste of government resources and taxpayer money to accommodate the ongoing requests for information from congressional investigators.

“More than 500,000 pages of IRS documents have been turned over to congressional committees. Five dozen interviews of current and former IRS employees have taken place. Lawmakers at fifteen congressional hearings have questioned IRS officials."... "And yet, there’s been absolutely no evidence of any corruption unearthed. Not a single piece of evidence showing any political motivation. Nothing showing any involvement outside the IRS.”