Paul L. Caron
Dean





Saturday, December 28, 2013

The IRS Scandal, Day 233

IRS Logo 2Wall Street Journal editorial:  Reid's New Senate Rules:

It's barely been a month since Democrats changed Senate rules to confirm nominees with 51 votes, but it is already clear how they intend to use their new power. Last Friday on their way out of town, the Senate rushed through the confirmations of Alejandro Mayorkas to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and John Koskinen for IRS Commissioner, two nominations wrapped up with ongoing investigations. ...

Mr. Koskinen is the White House choice to rehabilitate the IRS after last spring's revelation that the tax authority had targeted conservative groups for additional scrutiny during President Obama's re-election campaign. Touted as a turnaround specialist, he will take over an agency that has dug in against the investigation into the targeting scandal.

The IRS has frustrated congressional investigators on the House Oversight Committee with its efforts to stonewall the investigation. In an interview with congressional investigators, IRS Chief Counsel William Wilkins claimed he could "not recall" some 80 times during questioning about his knowledge of the treatment of conservative groups, or any conversations he may have had with his bosses at Treasury.

The agency has also launched an attempt to further regulate the political speech of the same 501(c)(4) groups it was caught targeting. Mr. Koskinen told Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that he thinks the IRS should stay out of the business of regulating political speech, so we'll look forward to seeing him critically assess the agency's proposed rule in his new role as commissioner.

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2013/12/the-irs-scandal-25.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

Comments

Dear professor,

Just thought you might like to know I've been using a link to this site (per Instapundit) all over the place in online arguments, and brother, does it stop 'em (lefties, I mean) in their tracks!

Please keep up the good work :) -- one of my next upcoming projects is to e-mail a link to each and every Republican in Congress.

God bless!

Posted by: Mary Kemper | Dec 28, 2013 3:08:47 PM