Saturday, May 3, 2014

Double Whammy: GOP Demands IRS Special Counsel



Double Whammy: GOP Demands IRS Special Counsel

by Matthew Boyle 2 May 2014
Not only are House Republicans forming a select committee to investigate Benghazi, there is now a concerted push from top GOP officials for the appointment of a special counsel on the IRS scandal.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) introduced the IRS scandal special counsel resolution on Friday. Jordan’s resolution calls on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint an independent counsel to investigate the IRS scandal, rather than the current Department of Justice attorney investigating. The current DOJ investigator donated thousands of dollars to President Obama’s re-election campaign and to the Democratic National Committee.

In a statement announcing his resolution’s introduction, Jordan said:

We need this Special Counsel to help us get to the truth because the so-called investigation by the Justice Department has been a joke. The current investigation has no credibility because it is being headed by a maxed-out donor who is financially invested in the President’s success. The Attorney General says he won’t share any information with Congress about the investigation, but looked the other way when information was leaked to the media signaling that no one would face criminal charges. This resolution calls for a real investigation by an unbiased investigator to get to the truth and hold those responsible for this illegal targeting accountable for their actions.

Jordan has several high-profile cosponsors out the gate, including three key chairmen: House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), and Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI). The other three original cosponsors—Reps. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Charles Boustany (R-LA)—are also key players in House oversight efforts. Issa made the case:

Congressional investigations into the IRS targeting scandal have uncovered evidence of serious criminal activity, which must be resolved aording to the law. Unfortunately, the Department of Justice’s current investigation has lost credibility and public confidence. Appointing a Special Counsel is a necessary step to restore impartiality to a case that requires it. The person Attorney General Holder appoints must be someone beyond the Administration’s own political circle, whose professional independence and political disinterest is beyond reproach.

Gowdy added that the law is clear: there should be a special counsel. “Current law provides Special Counsel should be appointed in extraordinary cases where it serves the public interest,” Gowdy said. “I cannot think of anything more extraordinary than targeting Americans simply for having a certain ideology, and it is most assuredly in the public interest to protect our freedom of speech.”

Goodlatte said the current DOJ investigation has been “undermined” because the lead is an Obama and Democrat donor.

These actions have created a conflict of interest which has undermined both the integrity of the investigation and the American people’s confidence in the Justice Department’s ability to get to the bottom of this scandal without spinning or covering up the facts. To restore Americans’ trust in the investigation and hold those accountable for targeting Americans for their political beliefs, Attorney General Holder should immediately appoint an independent Special Counsel to probe this unsettling issue.

Camp added that he is worried, if an independent counsel is not appointed, that Lois Lerner and the IRS will get away with their malfeasance. "I have serious concerns that the Department of Justice has brushed aside this investigation and will not pursue Lerner for the wrongdoing she committed,” Camp said. “Therefore, DOJ must appoint a Special Counsel, so we can have an independent review of what really happened at the IRS.”

Majority Leader Eric Cantor promised a vote on the resolution next week. "This is far too serious a matter to leave to the discretion of partisan political appointees no matter who is in the White House," Cantor said.

Special
Boehner Finally Caves, Will Appoint Special Committee (Past Research)
Saturday, May 3, 2014

Note: Elizabeth Warren was a special adviser to the secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Alan F. Holmer was a special envoy to China for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and a partner at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
James D. Zirin is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and was a director at the Human Rights First.
Kenneth R. Feinberg is a director at Human Rights First, and was a special master for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for Human Rights First, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Belizean Grove.
Deborah L. Wince-Smith is a member of the Belizean Grove, and was a member of the IRS Oversight Board.
Nancy Killefer was a member of the IRS Oversight Board, the assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the nominee for chief performance officer for the Barack Obama administration.
IRS Oversight Board is a citizen’s board for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Charles O. Rossotti was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and American Constitution Society.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, a board member for the International Crisis Group, and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.
Thomas R. Pickering is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a co-chair for the International Crisis Group, was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), the under secretary for the U.S. Department of State, a U.S. ambassador for the United Nations, and the chairman of review board that investigated the 2012 attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2013.
Mariano-Florentino Cuellar is a director at the American Constitution Society, and was a special assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration.
Eric H. Holder Jr. was a board member for the American Constitution Society, an intern at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and is the attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice for the Barack Obama administration.
Beth A. Wilkinson was a special attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, and is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.
Elena Kagan was a summer associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and the solicitor general for the Barack Obama administration.
Warren B. Rudman was of counsel at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
David M. Rubenstein was a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and a benefactor at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Henrietta Holsman Fore is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Belizean Grove.
Deborah L. Wince-Smith is a member of the Belizean Grove, and was a member of the IRS Oversight Board.
Nancy Killefer was a member of the IRS Oversight Board, the assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the nominee for chief performance officer for the Barack Obama administration.
IRS Oversight Board is a citizen’s board for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Charles O. Rossotti was a commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a director at the Booz Allen Hamilton.
R. James Woolsey is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), was a VP for Booz Allen Hamilton, and an advisory board member for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs.
Eric I. Cantor is an advisory board member for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, and the Majority Leader.








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