IRS chief John Koskinen makes excuses
Still working for the Democratic Party: In House hearings today IRS chief John Koskinen claimed that he was misled and never ordered the destruction of evidence in direct defiance of Congressional orders.
At a hearing designed to lay the ground for his possible impeachment, Mr. Koskinen implied he was let down by his subordinates, who allowed hundreds of backup tapes to be destroyed, losing tens of thousands of emails from former senior executive Lois G. Lerner. It is the loss of those emails, even as they were under a subpoena issued by Congress, that has landed Mr. Koskinen in the hot seat, with conservative Republicans demanding he be ousted from office for his behavior.
Mr. Koskinen in 2014 testified that all of the information was being preserved, but now says that was faulty information and he, too, was misinformed. “I accept that it is up to you to judge my overall record, but I believe impeachment would be improper,” Mr. Koskinen told the House Judiciary Committee.
He flatly denied that he gave orders for the backup tapes to be deleted, saying he had actually issued orders that everything related to the tea party targeting be preserved. He said that message was received by everybody save for two workers on the graveyard shift at the West Virginia facility where the deletions happened. [emphasis mine]
Yup, and the dog ate my homework also. Note also that Koskinen has not punished anyone at the IRS for misleading him and not following his orders. It’s almost as if he is winking at them approvingly as he sheds crocodile tears before Congress.
Note also that this hearing is only happening because House conservatives forced the Republican leadership into holding it.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Still working for the Democratic Party: In House hearings today IRS chief John Koskinen claimed that he was misled and never ordered the destruction of evidence in direct defiance of Congressional orders.
At a hearing designed to lay the ground for his possible impeachment, Mr. Koskinen implied he was let down by his subordinates, who allowed hundreds of backup tapes to be destroyed, losing tens of thousands of emails from former senior executive Lois G. Lerner. It is the loss of those emails, even as they were under a subpoena issued by Congress, that has landed Mr. Koskinen in the hot seat, with conservative Republicans demanding he be ousted from office for his behavior.
Mr. Koskinen in 2014 testified that all of the information was being preserved, but now says that was faulty information and he, too, was misinformed. “I accept that it is up to you to judge my overall record, but I believe impeachment would be improper,” Mr. Koskinen told the House Judiciary Committee.
He flatly denied that he gave orders for the backup tapes to be deleted, saying he had actually issued orders that everything related to the tea party targeting be preserved. He said that message was received by everybody save for two workers on the graveyard shift at the West Virginia facility where the deletions happened. [emphasis mine]
Yup, and the dog ate my homework also. Note also that Koskinen has not punished anyone at the IRS for misleading him and not following his orders. It’s almost as if he is winking at them approvingly as he sheds crocodile tears before Congress.
Note also that this hearing is only happening because House conservatives forced the Republican leadership into holding it.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
No consequences for actions here, and none here either.
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/09/hillarys-email-tech-asked-reddit-how-to-delete-emails
So he showed up and danced around thumbing his nose. What would have been stunning would have been if this turned out to be anything but Kabuki theater.
Stainless steel bracelets and perp-walks are about the only way the canaries will sing and justice will be served.
He did admit that the illegal targeting took place but our friends will still deny that it did.
He was in the position of authority and therefore it was his responsibility. If the dog ate it, he is to blame………..
Common, put Trump in. There is absolutely no way he can be worse. He wants to be press and will follow those who put him there if current actions are any indicator. I sure do not want him as a friend, but you guys voted the current congress and they are not doing the job you wanted. How bad can it be compared to the dems?
Actually, the most troubling possibility is that he is telling the truth. That would mean, essentially, the top civil service people at IRS knowingly disobeyed orders from the IRS Director, because they are already so tight with the Justice Department and the WH that they know no prosecution will be coming, and no disciplinary actions will be taken.
They no longer need fear anyone or anything in that case.
Now you see why, when tyrants take over a country, they kill all their opponents.
Don’t accuse me of suggesting this, but it works for them.
“Killing them softly”, seems to be the DNC unspoken motto. Most people don’t love or even like Trump. But at least his campaign wasn’t funded by Saudi Arabia and China.
Right. Everyone in the IRS got your order to preserve the information except the two people that actually had their hands on the tapes. Right.
The reason nothing will happen in the end is that the Republicans hate the Tea Party more than the Democrats do; the Tea Party actually believes in the principles the Republicans claim to believe in. This hearing was pure Kabuki and nothing more.
Back when this happened, the Tea Party represented a credible threat, but unfortunately I think this is no longer the case. Whether it was the IRS’s efforts, or distraction, or just plain apathy by the general public, sadly, it seems that the Tea Party isn’t much of a force anymore.
I think it’s going to take a great turmoil (on a scale that can’t be ignored by most people) to change the power structure.
Garry said:
“..The reason nothing will happen in the end is that the Republicans hate the Tea Party more than the Democrats do..”
Correct. The Tea Party was and is more of an immediate threat to the RNC establishment.
But it was the Democrats who were VERY successful in labeling and defining the Tea Party early on as dangerous kooks, crazies, and “Tea Baggers” (I still hear friends and family refer to them like that) A typical Alinsky tactic, they now have it down to a science.
The RNC of course went along with this narrative and very quickly the Tea Party was marginalized….
And I agree that the Tea Party may have been the last chance to peacefully change the Republican Party and the course of the Country as a whole. What will happen now depends on the results of the election.
Either way it turns out, change is coming. The only question is when and how.