Lois Lerner Shows Why Obama Needs to Get Rid of All Remaining Bush Appointees

[wilsonbooks]

http://www.politicususa.com/lois-lerner-pleads-fifth-republicans-hysterical.html

Pleading the fifth is evidence of guilt if you have the bad fortune to work under the Obama administration, but the same folks will defend your right to plead the fifth if you happen to be working under a Republican president. Too bad for Lois Lerner, who was appointed by Bush in 2006 as head of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division, but is now apparently going to serve as yet another fall guy for the cause.

Lois Lerner, “who let slip at an American Bar Association meeting on Friday that, between 2010 and 2012, conservative nonprofit groups were improperly scrutinized by the IRS”, is the person who drew attention to this “scandal”. She is also the IRS Director of Exempt Organizations.

Lerner gave an opening statement before yet another House Committee Wednesday morning, in a hearing on the allegations that the IRS targeted conservative groups for political reasons. Ms. Lerner said, before pleading the fifth, “I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee,” Lerner said. “Because I am asserting my right not to testify, I know that some people will assume that I have done something wrong. I have not.”

Charles Krauthammer told Fox News Tuesday night that it’s not unreasonable to infer that Lois Lerner’s decision to plea the fifth was evidence “that there is a lot [the Obama administration has] got to hide and they are very worried.”

[Dawson Leery]

1. Agreed!

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Many of them are non political appointments and can't be forced out.

Administrations can and do abuse supposedly non political appointments by stuffing political operatives into those slots.

[notadmblnd]

3. She didn't let it slip

She called a tax attorney that would be attending the meeting and told her to ask the question so she could answer it.

Lois Lerner is the one that needs to be fired. She is either incompetent or did this for the explicit reason of maligning the current administration. She has now decided to fuel this little fire by claiming her 5th amendment rights. Obama's mistake (as usual) was being so damn eager to play nice with those dirty little bastards in congress that he apologized for any wrong doing before it was determined any wrong doing had occurred.

On edit: Kruthheimmer (sp?) is a right wing tool.

[HoosierRadical]

9. EXACTLY

"Obama's mistake (as usual) was being so damn eager to play nice with those dirty little bastards in congress that he apologized for any wrong doing before it was determined any wrong doing had occurred."

When will President Obama open his eyes?

The IRS was actually doing its job, when a group applies for tax exempt status, its application is suppose to be scrutinized. None of those tea party groups were denied 501(c)4, although they should have, tea party groups are NOT social welfare organizations, they engage in POLITICAL work. The real scandal is that there are political activist groups filing for and getting tax exempt status.

[notadmblnd]

12. but the real kick in he ass is that they wern't required to apply for tax exempt status

All they had to do was claim it when they filed their taxes.

[HoosierRadical]

14. Not surprising that Right Wing groups

are the ones being duplicitous when it comes to avoiding paying taxes, everyone knows that tea party and patriot groups are political activist groups, not social welfare organizations, it would never cross the mind of a progressive political activist group to do such a thing. We know the difference between activism and social welfare, and file tax status accordingly.

[Life Long Dem]

4. There is wrong doing

But it goes back to 1959. The real scandal is when the IRS changed the wording of the law in 1959 from "exclusive" to "primarily". Why should she take the fall for the real scandal?

[notadmblnd]

5. Because she had the question planted at the meeting.

nt

[Life Long Dem]

6. If they fix this mess with the law

I'll be thanking her.

[notadmblnd]

7. They need to enforce the letter of the law as it was passed by congress

"exclusively" for social welfare, not how the IRS decided to enforce it "primarily" for social welfare. I don't believe for a minute that she is a do gooder, especially since she had the opportunity to tell this to congress before planting the question and allowing the media to run with it before all the facts being known.

[John2]

10. So why isn't the

the corporate media reporting this scandal by the IRS? I guess they pick and choose which one they like.

[HoosierRadical]

11. Don't you find it ironic

that this Bush appointee, who purposely, threw her department under the bus for doing its Due Diligence, it is totally understandable that after the Citizens United decision which resulted in a huge influx of 501 (c) 4 applications, why wouldn't some sort of screening process be implemented to handle the influx?

[notadmblnd]

13. What I find odd is that all these groups filed for tax exempt status at all

When none of them had to. It would be like me or you asking permission to claim our dependents before we filed ours.

They complained to repukes about delays and being singled out in being granted exempt status but it didn't affect their ability to file their taxes with this exemption. So if there was no harm done, how is there a scandal?

[HoosierRadical]

15. the scandal in my opinion is that political activist groups

are using 501 (c)4 status to avoid paying taxes, than have the nerve to when the IRS doesn't simply rubber stamps their applications. None of them them were denied, although they should have, only in right wing world is that considered a witch hunt or "targeting".

[mwrguy]

8. Hang her out to dry

I'm sure that Obama has plenty of people to replace her with.

[mulsh]

16. either get rid of them or reassing them to jobs with abosulutely nothing to do

and no interaction with co-workers aside from occasionally chatting in a break room. limit their access to government computers and e-mail severely. I suggest starting with any one who sports a "degree" from "colleges" like Liberty, Regency and Oral Robers U. then move up the academic food chain slowly.

[libodem]

17. Yup

Toxic.

[Cal33]

18. It looks like Obama's second term will be no different from his first. He is the way

he is (just a bit to the right of center). I'd be so glad to be wrong.