WAPO: Aide Takes Blame for Tax Return Provision

[Buck Turgidson]

Staffer Surprised By Privacy Uproar

By Dan Morgan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 3, 2004

A mid-level House aide said yesterday that he was the one who, during last month's drafting of a huge spending bill, added a provision that could give staffers on the House and Senate appropriations committees broad access to Americans' tax returns.

Richard E. Efford, a 19-year veteran of the House Appropriations Committee, said he did not inform any elected official before inserting the provision and advised his immediate boss, Rep. Ernest J. Istook Jr. (R-Okla.), only after it was too late to make changes. He said other House and Senate appropriations staffers in both parties were aware of the provision, however, and believed it gave them needed authority to enter facilities of the Internal Revenue Service to inspect how taxpayer funds were being used.

"I would guess we all thought it was a housekeeping thing that would help our bosses but did not need to be elevated up to them," said Efford, who described himself as "dumbfounded" by the uproar.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29908-2004Dec2.html

[UpInArms]

1. this 19-year veteran should know better

I don't buy his bullshit:

"I would guess we all thought it was a housekeeping thing that would help our bosses but did not need to be elevated up to them," said Efford, who described himself as "dumbfounded" by the uproar.

He's "dumbfounded"? No, he's DUMB.

and also from the link:

But a reconstruction of what happened suggests less a sinister conspiracy than problems arising from the legislative practices of the present Congress, in which sleep-deprived staffers often take on much of the burden of writing major bills under deadline pressure, and legislation drafted in secret is rushed through both chambers before lawmakers, let alone the general public, have a chance for review.

This crap needs to change - and pronto. I say that if they don't read the freakin' shit, don't pass it. That's crap and no one is being represented by assholes that don't even know what they're signing.

Would you sign a contract without reading it? I think not.

[tx_dem41]

4. This 19 year veteran is lying his ass off.

and falling on his sword. I would hope most people have more self-esteem than he is showing.

[UpInArms]

5. since you live in Dallas, you have probably

been to Oklahoma a few times - these people lie their asses off all the time.

Sometimes I think the only state worse than denial is Oklahoma or Kansas.

[tx_dem41]

6. I wouldn't use that broad a brush.

Its a losing strategy.

[Florida_Geek]

2. "dumbfounded"

No not "dumbfounded" --- Caught and nobody believes that your boss did not know.

Fuck You

[Buck Turgidson]

3. It took what? -- a week to find this guy???

Utterly transparent attempt to slough the blame on a mid-level staffer.

[AliciaKeyedUp]

7. I don't know about that

Aides have too much damn power over legislation in D.C. -- on both sides -- and it's damn scary.

[Buck Turgidson]

8. True -- but Istook lied about the source of the provision

"I want to reiterate what I said on Sunday, namely that this was not my language. I then spent most of the day tracking down what happened.
"I had nothing to do with inserting this language. I never knew what was happening until it was done. Had I known, I would have intervened to omit or to fix this provision.

"I didn't write it; I didn't approve it; I wasn't even consulted. My name shouldn't be associated with it, because I had nothing to do with it, and didn't even know about it until after the bill was done and was filed."


http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_11_21.php#004093

[Moderator]

9. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1040851