Munz's Place

Ex-Cincy IRS official doubts agency's explanation for Tea Party scandal - Open Channel

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:06:35 PDT

Ex-Cincy IRS official doubts agency's explanation for Tea Party scandal - Open Channel: A former manager at the IRS Cincinnati office at the center of the controversy over the targeting of conservative political organizations seeking tax-exempt status tells NBC News she doesn’t think low-level employees acted on their own in flagging them for further scrutiny.

But she also said that in her time at the IRS she has never known politics or partisan motivations to play any role in the office’s work, and doesn’t think it did in this case.

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Lois Lerner: Top IRS official will invoke the Fifth Amendment in congressional hearing about tea party targeting program | Mail Online

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:06:06 PDT

Lois Lerner: Top IRS official will invoke the Fifth Amendment in congressional hearing about tea party targeting program | Mail Online: The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Lois Lerner, who heads up the Internal Revenue Service's tax-exempt division, plans to invoke the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs.

The Fifth Amendment provides that U.S. citizens may not be compelled to offer testimony if telling the truth would incriminate them.

Lerner's defense lawyer, William W. Taylor III, wrote to the committee on Tuesday that his client would refuse to answer questions related to what she knew about the extra levels of scrutiny applied to conservative nonprofit organizations that applied for tax-exempt status beginning in 2010.

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Parties divide over IRS scandal fallout - Washington Times

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:04:11 PDT

Parties divide over IRS scandal fallout - Washington Times: Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday the IRS, while engaging in “unacceptable” targeting of conservative groups, may have been set up for failure by campaign finance law ambiguities that allowed tax-exempt groups to engage in partisan politics without disclosing their donors.

In the Senate’s first hearing on revelations that the tax agency had targeted tea party and other conservative groups for special scrutiny, Democrats focused largely on the foggy environment that led to the scandal, while minority Republican members of the panel excoriated senior IRS officials for failing to stop specialists in Cincinnati from burdening tea party groups and others with excessive requests for information.

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IRS Worker Used Federal Plastic For Amazon Buys | The Smoking Gun

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:03:45 PDT

IRS Worker Used Federal Plastic For Amazon Buys | The Smoking Gun: MAY 21--Entrusted with a government credit card, an Internal Revenue Service worker allegedly used the plastic for a years-long Amazon.com shopping spree that netted her hundreds of items, including a chocolate fondue fountain; Bollywood movies; Pampers; Harlequin romance novels; Omaha Steaks; Apple Bottoms skinny jeans; mango body wash; and a Ginsu knife set.

Yetunde Oseni, 37, was named this month in a U.S. District Court felony complaint charging her with embezzling government funds. Oseni has worked since 2000 as a secretary in an IRS office in Lanham, Maryland.

According to a court filing, Oseni was

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Senate panel approves immigration bill

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:03:32 PDT

News from The Associated Press: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Far-reaching legislation that grants a chance at citizenship to millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a solid bipartisan vote Tuesday night after supporters somberly sidestepped a controversy over the rights of gay spouses.

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The IRS & The Liberal Media Set Their Sights On Same Groups : The Last Resistance

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:37:48 PDT

The IRS & The Liberal Media Set Their Sights On Same Groups : The Last Resistance: While the scandal with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeting conservative and Tea Party groups continues in the news, there is a connected scandal as well and this one involves the media attacking a conservative Christian ministry. Back in 2010 and 2011, MSNBC’s liberal talk show host Rachel Maddow decided she would weigh in on Bradlee Dean’s comments on homosexuality. The problem with Maddow’s comments that she made is that she accused Dean of calling for the execution of homosexuals, which he never did. Because of that Dean filed a libel lawsuit against her. It was dismissed after Dean refused to pay $24,000 in court costs to Maddow’s attorneys, which she ordered, but the ministry is looking to take it to DC next month.

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Unions break ranks on ObamaCare - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:20:23 PDT

Unions break ranks on ObamaCare - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com: Labor unions are breaking with President Obama on ObamaCare.

Months after the president’s reelection, a variety of unions are publicly balking at how the administration plans to implement the landmark law. They warn that unless there are changes, the results could be catastrophic.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) — a 1.3 million-member labor group that twice endorsed Obama for president — is very worried about how the reform law will affect its members’ healthcare plans.

Last month, the president of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers released a statement calling “for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act.”

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Achilles Heel of the Anti-Gun Lobby's Position - Patriot UpdatePatriot Update

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:19:39 PDT

Achilles Heel of the Anti-Gun Lobby's Position - Patriot UpdatePatriot Update: I overheard an instructive conversation recently. Two people were discussing gun control. One was espousing the standard liberal position: outlaw assault weapons and limit the size of magazines. He based his argument on the need to prevent “another Sandy Hook.” The other party to this conversation opposed gun control on both philosophical and practical grounds. The latter commented: “Outlawing assault weapons and limiting the size of magazines would not have prevented Sandy Hook.” The former responded: “Yes, I know. But we have to do something.” This incredible response reveals in stark terms the Achilles Heel of the anti-gun lobby’s position. Anti-gun advocates are not so much interested in reducing gun violence as they are in appearing “to do something.” Theirs is a frantic, hyper-emotional response that makes no sense and will yield no results.

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Roger L. Simon » PJM EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Diplomats Report New Benghazi Whistleblowers with Info Devastating to Clinton and Obama

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:18:50 PDT

Roger L. Simon » PJM EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Diplomats Report New Benghazi Whistleblowers with Info Devastating to Clinton and Obama: More whistleblowers will emerge shortly in the escalating Benghazi scandal, according to two former U.S. diplomats who spoke with PJ Media Monday afternoon.

These whistleblowers, colleagues of the former diplomats, are currently securing legal counsel because they work in areas not fully protected by the Whistleblower law.

According to the diplomats, what these whistleblowers will say will be at least as explosive as what we have already learned about the scandal, including details about what really transpired in Benghazi that are potentially devastating to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

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IRS Scandal: Lois Lerner to Invoke Fifth Amendment

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:16:57 PDT

IRS Scandal: Lois Lerner to Invoke Fifth Amendment: Tuesday afternoon a bombshell was dropped into the already explosive IRS scandal when it was reported that Lois Lerner, a top IRS official in the non-profit division that paralyzed Tea Party groups with ongoing harassment, would invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer questions during Congressional testimony schedule before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.

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Trio sentenced in plot to behead terror witnesses | abc7chicago.com

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:22:32 PDT

Trio sentenced in plot to behead terror witnesses | abc7chicago.com: RALEIGH, N.C. -- A judge gave four life sentences Friday to a man already facing decades in federal prison for his role in a North Carolina terror plot.

Hysen Sherifi lectured federal Judge Earl Britt about Islamic teachings and warned the judge he faced damnation at his sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors say Sherifi conspired with his brother and a female friend to kill witnesses who testified against him about a plot with five other men in the Raleigh - Johnston County area to attack the U.S. Marine base at Quantico and targets overseas. In 2012, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison in the original case.

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Factchecker Destroys White House Claim of 'Doctored' Benghazi Emails

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:45:26 PDT

Factchecker Destroys White House Claim of 'Doctored' Benghazi Emails: Working together again, the White House and Media Matters have spent the last week attempting the herculean task of turning the Benghazi-scandal battleship around in the hopes of attacking conservatives. Washington Post factchecker, Glenn Kessler, just destroyed that cynical maneuver.

After Jonathan Karl of ABC News reported that emails proved that the Obama administration had in fact taken a major role in the shaping of the final draft of the CIA's Libya talking points, the actual transcript of a single email was leaked to CNN's Jake Tapper (probably by the White House).

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IRS Scandal: IRS Commissioner Defends 'Lie by Omission' to Congress

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:42:40 PDT

IRS Scandal: IRS Commissioner Defends 'Lie by Omission' to Congress: Acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman, who led the agency when it targeted Tea Party and conservative groups, testified before the Senate Finance Committee today, under oath, about when he knew about the conduct of officials in the tax exempt organizations division. He was joined by his successor, Steven Miller, and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russel George.

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Carney Sweats it Out | The Blog on Obama: White House Dossier

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:41:47 PDT

Carney Sweats it Out | The Blog on Obama: White House Dossier: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is sweating it out under the harsh lights of the White House briefing room these days, revising stories and spinning away suspicious facts in what is becoming an almost comical daily exercise in scandal avoidance.

“Are you going to ask me about Myanmar?” Carney joked Monday as yet another White House reporter teed up a question about one of the various scandals swirling about the administration. The leader of Myanmar was to meet with President Obama later in the day.

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Issa Warns Hillary | National Review Online

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:38:51 PDT

Issa Warns Hillary | National Review Online: Since Hillary Clinton last came up to Capitol Hill, we’ve learned senior State Department officials sought to scrub references to terrorism from the infamous Benghazi talking points to insulate Foggy Bottom from political criticism — citing concerns of their “building’s leadership” to justify the demands.

The rising temperature of the scandal means it’s possible that Hillary could be asked to return and testify again. If she comes back, she had better be prepared, says House Oversight and Government Reform chairman Darrell Issa.

“We are interviewing lots of people, most of them under oath,” Issa says, describing the “methodical” approach his committee has been using for months.

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Obama Scandals Bring MSNBC 7-Year Low While Fox News Rises - Deadline.com

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:38:16 PDT

Obama Scandals Bring MSNBC 7-Year Low While Fox News Rises - Deadline.com: The scandals of the Obama administration seem to be hurting not just the White House but MSNBC as well, while Fox News Channel has just scored its second-best week of the year. After double-digit gains during last year’s presidential election, May 13-17 saw the progressive-aligned “Lean Forward” news network hit new lows as the IRS scandal erupted and revelations that the Justice Department secretly obtained AP records became public. With 350,000 viewers on average and 94,000 in the adults 25-54 demo, MSNBC had its least-watched and lowest-rated total-day results of the year last week. That was also the lowest total-day demo result the network has had since the week of June 26-July 2, 2006, when MSNBC pulled in just 83,000 viewers among adults 25-54, according to Nielsen data.

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Michael Savage Goes Off on Obama Morehouse College Speech, Opening Segment - 5/20/13 - YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:48:21 PDT

Michael Savage Goes Off on Obama Morehouse College Speech, Opening Segment - 5/20/13 - YouTube

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Capitol Confidential » Cuomo: Rensselaer Co. Clerk ‘is not upholding the law’

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:36:16 PDT

Capitol Confidential » Cuomo: Rensselaer Co. Clerk ‘is not upholding the law’: Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola is “not upholding the law” in his announced refusal last week to release information about pistol permit holders.

“I don’t believe that’s the law. That’s not for a county clerk to do on a blanket basis. That’s not my reading of the law,” Cuomo said. “Let me get the facts of what the clerk is doing, but that clerk is not upholding the law. You can’t decide what the law is or change the law — their job is to enforce the law, administratively.”

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Outgoing IRS Chief: Taxes Voluntary

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:41 PDT

Outgoing IRS Chief: Taxes Voluntary: On Friday, former acting IRS Commissioner Steve Miller, testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee, said that America’s tax system is “voluntary.”

During the hearing, Rep. Devin Nunes (D-CA) said in passing that the U.S. tax code is a "voluntary system." Miller simply responded, "Agreed."

This line has been used before by none other than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Interviewed by Jan Helfeld in 2008, this is how the conversation went:

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Roger L. Simon » PJM EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Diplomats Report New Benghazi Whistleblowers with Info Devastating to Clinton and Obama

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:46:40 PDT

Report: Justice Department targeted TWO Fox News reporters and a producer for talking with government sources | Mail Online

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:31:15 PDT

Report: Justice Department targeted TWO Fox News reporters and a producer for talking with government sources | Mail Online: Inspector General report found agents read emails, tracked phone records
Reporters James Rosen and William La Jeunesse, producer Mike Levine were the subject of subpoenas but never notified by the government
Fox News says U.S. journalism 'up until now has always been a free press'
An FBI agent swore out an affidavit claiming that Rosen had broken the law, 'at the very least, either as an aider, abetter and/or co-conspirator'
New allegations add fuel to the fire started with a DOJ investigation into the Associated Press

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Justice Department targeted TWO Fox News Channel reporters and a producer for talking with government sources |

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:29:57 PDT

Justice Department targeted TWO Fox News Channel reporters and a producer for talking with government sources |: Inspector General report found agents read emails, tracked phone records
Reporters James Rosen and William La Jeunesse, producer Mike Levine were the subject of subpoenas but never notified by the government
Fox News says U.S. journalism ‘up until now has always been a free press’
An FBI agent swore out an affidavit claiming that Rosen had broken the law, ‘at the very least, either as an aider, abetter and/or co-conspirator’
New allegations add fuel to the fire started with a DOJ investigation into the Associated Press

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Former Counterterrorism Head: FBI Never Called Ft. Hood 'Workplace Violence'

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:43:01 PDT

Former Counterterrorism Head: FBI Never Called Ft. Hood 'Workplace Violence': Michael Steinbach, former head of the FBI’s counterterrorism division and now special agent in charge of Miami, told over 30 congressional staffers in March of 2012 that, contrary to the White House's classification, the bureau does not refer to the Fort Hood shooting as "workplace violence." As head of the FBI counterterrorism division, Steinbach oversaw the investigation into the mass murder at Texas Army base.

Steinbach made this claim during an unclassified counterterrorism briefing on Capitol Hill.

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Angry Press Corps Grills White House on Reporter Scandals

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:42:42 PDT

Angry Press Corps Grills White House on Reporter Scandals: The White House press corps posed several angry questions to Obama administration spokesperson Jay Carney about the James Rosen case in his daily briefing Monday. The Washington Post revealed Sunday that Rosen, who works for the Fox News Channel, had been the target of unusual surveillance by the Department of Justice, which treated his reports on North Korea as potential crimes against national security.

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Uh-Oh: Hillary's Benghazi Scapegoat Speaks Out

noreply@blogger.com (The Munz) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:41:52 PDT

Uh-Oh: Hillary's Benghazi Scapegoat Speaks Out: The Daily Beast reports that one of the Benghazi fall guys is refusing to take the fall.

Raymond Maxwell was put on indefinite leave by the State Department after its Administrative Review Board (ARB) investigation of Benghazi for reasons that are still unknown to him. The person he claims made the decision to cast him out was Cheryl Mills--Hillary Clinton's former chief of staff and counsel at the State Department.

It is the second time Mills' name has turned up during scrutiny of the State Department's response to the attack.

According to a new report by Josh Rogin: "On the day after the unclassified version of the ARB’s report was released in December, Mills called Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Beth Jones and directed her to have Maxwell leave his job immediately."

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