The IRS Scandal, Day 1170

Town Hall, Pushing Back the Bullies:

The most important thing to learn about bullies is that they don’t expect resistance, and when it comes, they often back down – but not if the pushback isn’t serious.

Several instances come to mind. ...

The best example of progressive bullying with no sufficient pushback is the Obama Administration’s use of the Internal Revenue Service as a political goon squad.

In 2010, Democrat U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (MT) openly pressured the Internal Revenue Service to investigate tea party groups, followed by similar letters to the IRS from other prominent Democrats. It worked. 

In the most egregious instance, after True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht applied for tax exempt status in 2010, she and her husband were subjected to six FBI domestic terrorism inquiries, an IRS “visit,” two IRS business audits, two IRS personal audits, and inspections of their business by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). No one has answered for these Soviet-style actions by the Obama Administration to silence her. 

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen was brought in supposedly to clean up the mess left by departed nonprofit section official Lois Lerner and other partisan IRS employees.  Instead, he has effectively thwarted the effort.  The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee woke up long enough to vote along party lines on June 17 to censure Koskinen, but so what?  He’s still running the IRS.

Last Thursday, conservative House members finally paved the way for a possible floor vote later in the year to impeach Mr. Koskinen for blocking inquiries, lying under oath, “losing” emails (sound familiar?) and ignoring a congressional subpoena.

• The IRS Scandal, Day 1169 (July 21, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1168 (July 20, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1167 (July 19, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1166 (July 18, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1165 (July 17, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1164 (July 16, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1163 (July 15, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1162 (July 14, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1161 (July 13, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1160 (July 12, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1159 (July 11, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1158 (July 10, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1157 (July 9, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1156 (July 8, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1155 (July 7, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1154 (July 6, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1153 (July 5, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1152 (July 4, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1151 (July 3, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1150 (July 2, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1149 (July 1, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1148 (June 30, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1147 (June 29, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1146 (June 28, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1145 (June 27, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1144 (June 26, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1143 (June 25, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1142 (June 24, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1141 (June 23, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1140 (June 22, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1139 (June 21, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1138 (June 20, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1137 (June 19, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1136 (June 18, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1135 (June 17, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1134 (June 16, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1133 (June 15, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1132 (June 14, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1131 (June 13, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1130 (June 12, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1129 (June 11, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1128 (June 10, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1127 (June 9, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1126 (June 8, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1125 (June 7, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1124 (June 6, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1123 (June 5, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1122 (June 4, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1121 (June 3, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1020 (June 2, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1119 (June 1, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1118 (May 31, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1117 (May 30, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1116 (May 29, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1115 (May 28, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1114 (May 27, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1113 (May 26, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1112 (May 25, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1111 (May 24, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1110 (May 23, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1109 (May 22, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1108 (May 21, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1107 (May 20, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1106 (May 19, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1105 (May 18, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1104 (May 17, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1103 (May 16, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1102 (May 15, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1101 (May 14, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 1001-1100 (Feb. 4, 2016 - May 13, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 901-1000 (Oct. 27, 2015 - Feb. 3, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 801-900 (July 19, 2015 - Oct. 26, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 701-800 (April 10, 2015 - July 18, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 601-700 (Dec. 31, 2014 - April 9, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 501-600 (Sept. 22, 2014-Dec. 30, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 401-500 (June 14, 2014 - Sept. 21,2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 301-400 (Mar. 6, 2014 - June 13, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 201-300 (Nov. 26, 2013 - Mar. 5, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 101-200 (Aug. 18, 2013 - Nov. 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 1-100 (May 10, 2013 - Aug. 17, 201