Paul L. Caron
Dean





Friday, October 9, 2015

The IRS Scandal, Day 883

IRS Logo 2Peter J. Reilly (Forbes), Paul Caron's Day By Day IRS Scandal Has Jumped The Shark - Part 1:

The interminable IRS scandal is now on Day 880 by TaxProf count. The TaxProf is Paul Caron, a law professor at Pepperdine University School of Law and Editor of the TaxProf Blog.  I consider Paul Caron the dean of the tax blogosphere.  His IRS Scandal series is a valuable reference tool if you want to reconstruct the chronology of the scandal, but I think the series may have finally jumped the shark. ... In order to make my case that it might be time for the TaxProf to turn his Scandal Day by Day into an archive, I am reviewing the whole thing and will share some of the high points with you. ... I think if you will spend the hours I just spent you will agree that Paul Caron’s coverage is pretty balanced. ...

Day 369 gives us a piece by Paul Caron, himself – The Media Ignore IRS Scandal – (As someone who took Greek in high school I have to admire the prof for knowing that the word “media” is plural).

Today’s news media are largely ignoring the IRS scandal, and it is impossible to have confidence in the current investigations by the FBI, Justice Department, and House committee. I am not suggesting that the current scandal in the end will rise to the level of Watergate. But the allegations are serious, and fair-minded Americans of both parties should agree that a thorough investigation needs to be undertaken to either debunk them or confirm them.

Step one should be to give Lois Lerner full immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony. And then let the chips fall where they may.

I’ve heard it said that Professor Caron’s continued coverage shows a conservative bias, but here he is clearly putting the ball in Issa’s court, a ball which will never be picked up.

Joe Kristan (Tax Update Blog), Tax Roundup, 10/7/15:

Sometimes I think the TaxProf has to reach deep to have something to run every day, but his continued focus on the outrageous IRS behavior is a public service. I’m not sure Peter thinks there is a scandal in the first place.

Peter J. Reilly (Forbes), Paul Caron's Day By Day IRS Scandal Has Jumped The Shark — Conclusion:

I fear that the series which serves as a great resource is in danger of having its quality diluted. ...

As I noted in Part I, I consider Paul Caron the dean of the tax blogosphere, so it seems rather arrogant of me to make suggestions about how he should run his blog, but as it happens, my blogging persona is kind of on the arrogant side. What I would like to see happen with the day by day IRS Scandal is some sort of boundary around what the scandal is which would result in quite a few days where there is nothing to report. We will continue to see flurries of activity for at least the next year or two as various pieces of litigation play out, but there might be more and more days with nothing to report. I think a policy like that would prevent the high quality of the series from being diluted. And of course, if Professor Caron were to do something like Day 900 All Quiet on The IRS Scandal Front, the commenters would be sure to point out anything he missed.

Joe Kristan (Tax Update Blog), Tax Roundup, 10/8/15:

I worry that the administration will succeed in running out the clock on the outrageous IRS misconduct.

Should I Continue My Daily Posts On The IRS Scandal?
Yes
No
  
Free polls from Pollhost.com

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2015/10/the-irs-scandal-day-883.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

Comments

I don't read it every day, but when I do read it, it is usually very informative.

Like Jack, I am concerned that a "memory hole" is being created. I brought up Lois Lerner to a fellow (non tax) lawyer a week or two ago, and he didn't know who she was. I reminded him, and he said something to the effect of "Oh yeah, now I remember. Isn't all that over?"

Posted by: William McGowin | Oct 10, 2015 7:38:41 AM

Aaron is anxious for the cell door to shut on Lois. Given the lawyers who follow this can anyone suggest what statutes she should be charged under http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2014/12/19/exactly-what-kind-of-a-criminal-might-lois-lerner-be/

Posted by: Peter Reilly | Oct 10, 2015 3:56:42 AM

"Hovering disingenuousness and mendacity" is quite an image. Although with the Carson entry and a few others I had started out thinking that the series should end, after investing a couple of days in it, I concluded that it just needed some days where the entry was "nothing new today" if there was nothing that connected to the "core scandal" beyond it being used as a rhetorical device as Carson did or it being compared to something like Hillary's email problems.

Posted by: Peter Reilly | Oct 10, 2015 3:51:50 AM

If some one takes up a subscription to put up a gold statue in your honor, I shall be pleased to subscribe. Thank you so much for your effort.

Posted by: Oliver Shank | Oct 9, 2015 9:31:47 PM

I read them every day, but perhaps at this point they'd be more useful as an entry when "important" news surfaces and with a weekly update whether or not anything new and/or useful surfaces?
I have generally really enjoyed the wall-to-wall coverage though.

Posted by: jorgxmckie | Oct 9, 2015 2:44:33 PM

In a better world, the felon Lois Lerner would already have been prosecuted, convicted and jailed along with the lawyers, head of IRS, and the rest of the guilty parties. Instead, we have your lonely howl in the night warning all of a government wildly out of control.

Thanks for your persistence.

Posted by: Fred Trout | Oct 9, 2015 10:34:55 AM

What would be really helpful is a page is periodically updated with status updates summarizing where things stand so readers can get quick overview of what is going on. Thanks.

Posted by: nt39g9ioofi | Oct 9, 2015 9:59:08 AM

Yes keep the coverage but you should correctly count the number of days from the beginning of the scandal. It started in March 2012.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/292475/broad-based-irs-assault-tea-party-david-french

Posted by: nt39g9ioofi | Oct 9, 2015 9:56:19 AM

Run it every day til the cell door slams shut on Lois, please.

Posted by: Aaron | Oct 9, 2015 9:38:09 AM

Thank you for continuing to post these. While the media and many others are ignoring the IRS abuse, it is nice to point people to one place where they can find out everything that has happened.

I appreciate what you have been doing and thank you for your hard work.

Posted by: Kenny | Oct 9, 2015 9:36:52 AM

"Eternal vigilance IS the price of liberty." Thank you, Professor, for your vigilance.

Posted by: David Grove | Oct 9, 2015 9:22:03 AM

Admittedly, I don't read your blog every day. That said, I think highlighting one of the biggest scandals of this corrupt administration is important. I've called for Koskinen to be impeached many times in my own tweet and calls to D.C. Of course, with our current RINO leadership, that will never happen. Thanks for all of your work. In my mind, it's as patriotic as my time on a Navy Sub, and you're having more of an impact.

Posted by: DJ | Oct 9, 2015 9:14:09 AM

In a perfect world, this series lasts longer than the efforts to stonewall accountability. That said, I couldn't blame you for calling it a day.

Posted by: Brian Dunn | Oct 9, 2015 8:48:08 AM

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Posted by: Nbpundit | Oct 9, 2015 8:40:13 AM

Peter J. Reilly's writings on this matter in Forbes have tended to be IRS/Administration apologias, under a thin cloak of reasonableness. Too thin to cover the way he hovers between disingenuousness and mendacity in these efforts, however. My advice: Ignore him here, it's more of the same.

Posted by: Porkypine | Oct 9, 2015 8:39:51 AM


RancherJack
This is how the Memory Hole is created. Someone gets tired of the truth and slowly, slowly, the guilty slip away. Eventually, formerly fevered partisans forget they were ever incensed. Anyone on this Comment thread who votes to let this 'slip away' is aiding and abetting a gigantic crime and giving aid and comfort to the enemies of the Republic. The Republic's enemies count on you not being able to endure the distance.To you who are unable to endure I say shame. Shame ..

Posted by: Jack | Oct 9, 2015 8:35:54 AM

I believe it was always the goal of the Democrats and MSM (but I repeat myself) to deny this huge scandal media oxygen and kill it. Please don't give in. You and occasionally Fox News are about all we've got.

Posted by: VoteOutIncumbents | Oct 9, 2015 8:23:16 AM

It has to be a burden - switch to weekly?

Posted by: Motionview | Oct 9, 2015 8:20:11 AM

Your daily brief on developments is invaluable. A great resource. Please do not be discouraged and please continue it!

Posted by: catorenasci | Oct 9, 2015 8:09:38 AM

Your daily IRS scandal updates are great. I am sure the pace of news will pick up once certain political distractions are behind. Whether you continue or not, I have become a daily reader of your blog. I am not a tax professional, but as a [non-tax] lawyer, investor, and voting citizen, I find your blog an excellent source of information.

Posted by: J | Oct 9, 2015 8:01:52 AM