Monday, June 23, 2014

IRS scandal. If it started and ended with Lois Lerner do you think the regime would squander so much political capital?

'We have a problem with you, and you have a problem maintaining your credibility': House Republicans slam IRS commissioner as they subpoena a White House lawyer in 'missing emails' case

  • IRS Commissioner John Koskinen testified Monday in a rare evening hearing, just days after being called a liar in another House proceeding
  • He defended the IRS against insinuations that it covered up a political targeting scheme by burying inconvenient emails
  • Koskinen testified that the Treasury Department's inspector general is investigating, but couldn't explain why a six-month 'disaster recovery' backup wasn't tapped to restore her emails after the computer crash
  • Republicans say he lied in March when he promised to deliver copies of 'all' of former official Lois Lerner's communications even though he knew of a 2011 computer crash that destroyed 28 months' worth
  • Koskinen complained that it would take $10 to $30 million to upgrade IRS computers to retain all its emails and documents; the agency paid $89 million in bonuses last year
  • Lerner has been held in Contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about her part in a scheme to use the IRS to hamstring tea party groups
  • House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa subpoenaed White House attorney Jennifer O'Connor on Monday to testify Tuesday morning
  • O'Connor, former counsel to the then-acting IRS commissioner, was invited to testify but the White House Counsel's office refused to let her testify


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