PIERS MORGAN: NOW I SEE U.S. GOVERNMENT TYRANNY

Anti-gun host finally admits firearm advocates might be onto something

Is British CNN host Piers Morgan finally admitting gun advocates have a point when they say the Second Amendment is to protect citizens from tyrannical government?

Morgan has made headlines for many months as he loudly trumpeted the cause of gun control, even to the detriment of his shows ratings.

Since the Sandy Hook massacre last year – in which Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 students and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. – Morgan has made advocating for gun-control legislation a frequent topic of his program, clashing with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich or rocker and National Rifle Association board member Ted Nugent, for example, and calling Gun Owners of America’s Larry Pratt “an unbelievably stupid man” for disagreeing with him.

Following reports of his vitriolic attacks, a petition was started on the White House “We the People” website demanding Morgan be deported back to England – and it now has more than 109,000 signatures.

As WND reported, despite his avid criticism of guns, Morgan protects his own personal property with signs warning that it is guarded by “Armed Response Security Systems,” according to a recent investigation by self-described “guerrilla journalist” James O’Keefe.

And on March 11, Morgan insisted that, “people need the nanny state occasionally.”

Now – after learning of the Obama administration’s involvement in the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups and its secret seizure of Associated Press phone records – the CNN host admitted to guest Penn Jillette that perhaps gun advocates were right about creeping tyranny after all:

“I’ve had some of the pro-gun lobbyists on here, saying to me, ‘Well, the reason we need to be armed is because of tyranny from our own government,’ and I’ve always laughed at them,” Morgan said. “I said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous! Your government won’t turn itself on you. …

“But, actually, this is vaguely tyrannical behavior by the American government.”

He continued, “I think what the IRS did is bordering on tyrannical behavior. I think what the Department of Justice has done to the AP is bordering on tyrannical behavior.”

Jillette agreed with Morgan, stating, “There’s no doubt about that. Once you use the word ‘bordering,’ that’s true.

“I also think that it shows you that how much we can trust the government and just sit back– which is not very much at all. We have to be ever vigilant.”

I know, some out here will jump on the "I would never believe him in a million years" bandwagon. 

But, just take a moment out to reflect on what has been happening lately. 


You have to admit that there have been others, who we would never in a million years have believed, would ever say anything against Obama, who have.

Let's give Morgan a teeny tiny shred of a chance on this. Just like we are giving the same to other's of his ilk who have apparently had a moment of reality thinking.

I have a very strong feeling that there are a number of people here who voted for Obama and have stood by him, who are now saying Hmm... to themselves.

We are going through a period of time here in the US that is highly unusual. Things have been done that affect a lot of people. Things that people here have had to absorb. Its happened way too fast.

I think we would be very surprised by who else is having second thoughts about Obama. People who haven't come out in public and said anything.

There are a lot of us out here who use to be Democrats. Myself included. If
people on the right were not willing to accept me when I first started going through "the change", I probably would still be a staunch Democrat. 

No, I won't go out on a limb and say that Morgan will move over to the right.

But, let's encourage positive behavior people.

IRS: Christians Suspected of PrayerCrime

Read it, bitchez.

TRUE THE VOTE FOUNDER: DOJ SCRUTINIZED US AFTER IRS FILING

From Breitbart:

As IRS talking points disintegrate, Americans from across the political spectrum are expressing outrage about the recent revelations that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) intentionally singled out conservatives and Tea party groups for increased governmental scrutiny and audits prior to the 2012 presidential election.

However, the experiences of one prominent Tea party-derived group indicate the scrutiny did not stop with the IRS, but involved agencies from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as well.

The Houston-based group, True the Vote, was founded by Catherine Engelbrecht and members of her King Street Patriots Tea Party effort. True the Vote’s experiences are set apart from many of the other organizations that were discriminated against by the IRS due to their having applied for 501(c3) status and not just 501(c4) status.

The group received an unprecedented level of scrutiny from the IRS since its original application for 501(c3) status was filed in 2010. The IRS sent rounds of questions over several years that went as far as demanding to see each and every tweet Engelbrecht had ever sent out and each and every speech she had ever given.

The IRS did not stop there. They demanded to know who had spoken at the group and to see each and every speech the speakers had given. They demanded to know the identities of all members of the group and who had attended their meetings. The list of probing and outlandish questions was exhaustive.

Soon, the IRS began to audit Engelbrecht’s family business and her personally. And the scrutiny from the federal government did not stop with the IRS.

Two DOJ agencies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) began to make their presence felt in Engelbrecht’s life as well.

“They [FBI] contacted us, asked questions about one of the people who attended a program," Engelbrecht told Breitbart News. "They asked for us to call if he ever showed back up. They repeated [their calls] over time, but no longer about that individual. They said they were just calling to check up with us. They called to check up with us a great deal and said it was ‘routine."

Engelbrecht added: "We support law enforcement and the FBI beginning to call wasn’t such a big deal in itself, but it came as the IRS was probing us and auditing everything. It came as the ATF began surprise visits and audits of our business."

She added: "Not only were the IRS, ATF, and FBI now in our lives, but OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] and a governmental environmental entity started auditing us in surprise visits as well.”

Engelbrecht said the sheer number of agencies auditing her in such rapid succession of each other led her to feel she had been targeted for her political activities.

Engelbrecht’s records indicate the ATF did two surprise audits on her family business in two consecutive years. She and her husband own a machine shop and have a license to manufacture firearms, though her records show they have never conducted any substantial business in the firearms industry.

We’ve had this license for years and the ATF never showed up," she said. "All of the sudden they arrived and conducted a surprise search through our records, our safe, and inspected our firearms. It was legal for them to do so, but the timing of all of it together was concerning. They came back the following year and did the same thing.”

Breitbart News first learned of Engelbrecht’s and True the Vote’s experiences in 2011 and began documenting the details. But Engelbrecht was concerned that speaking out would cause even more federal agencies to enter her life. She said: "When this happens to you, there’s a sense of embarrassment or shame you go through and a concern that so many entities examining you will somehow make you look guilty of something in the public’s eyes.”

“All I have is the truth, and it’s important that Americans know about this and that our government look into any possible connections between the multiple federal agencies who all showed interest in us in such rapid succession of each other and the issues with IRS abusing power,” said Engelbrecht. She added: "I’m concerned about the possibility of reprisals from these agencies or others, and what going public may mean to my businesses, but more importantly what it may mean to the well-being of my family.”

"This all began shortly after we applied for our nonprofit status with the IRS," said Engelbrecht.

NYT: IRS TOLD TREASURY ABOUT ITS ANTI-TEA PARTY VIOLATIONS BEFORE THE ELECTION - so... who told them to keep their mouths shut

When a FOIA Request Demanded Any Documents Specifically Mentioning the Tea Party, the IRS Claimed That No Documents Could Be Found Responsive to This Request

From the Free Beacon:

The Internal Revenue Service denied the existence of any documents related to its policy of targeting Tea Party organizations in response to a 2010 Freedom of Information Act request, even though such documents were later discovered by the IRS inspector general. 

The 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, a conservative nonprofit group, filed a FOIA request in 2010 through investigative journalist Lynn K. Walsh seeking all IRS documents related to the agencies tax-exempt division specifically mentioning the Tea Party. 

IRS headquarters responded in 2011 that it “found no documents specifically responsive to your request.” 

However, the May 14 inspector general report found that the “first Sensitive Case Report [identifying Tea Party groups] was prepared by the Technical Unit” in April of 2010.

CAIR To File Complaint Against Federal Judge For Asking Women Convicted Of Funding Al-Qaeda If They Support Jihad And Sharia Law

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/17/13) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, said today that it plans to file a complaint against a Minnesota judge who inappropriately questioned defendants on their religious beliefs and equated mainstream Islamic principles with terrorism. 

Before sentencing two Muslim women to lengthy prison terms yesterday, U.S. District Judge Michael Davis asked each woman if she supported “jihad, suicide bombings and Sharia law.” Judge Davis also asked, “Does she understand there are some Muslim women who wear dresses or short skirts?” Davis said he was trying to decide whether the defendants would “support terrorist causes” when they are released from prison. The questions reportedly drew audible reactions in a courtroom packed with Muslim spectators.
SEE: 2 Minnesota Women Sentenced in Somali Terror Case 

“It is misguided and unethical for a judge to reference an individual’s general support of mainstream Islamic principles, known as Sharia, during sentencing to determine a defendant’s future dangerousness,” said CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas. “By also linking modest dress to a propensity for violence, the judge revealed a disturbing bias that may have impacted his decisions in this case and his sentencing of the defendants.” 

Abbas said CAIR would file a complaint based on the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act of 1980, 28 U.S.C. §§ 351-364, and Rules for Judicial-Conduct and Judicial-Disability Proceedings, 248 F.R.D. 674 (2008).

Obama IRS Asked Tea Party Groups For Back-End Access to Their Websites 

From Gateway Pundit:

The Obama IRS demanded that several Tea Party groups provide back-end access to their websites.

And, from reliable sources: This happened to several Tea Party groups!

The source has this in writing. It states they wanted access to everything the members had access to, which would be chats, email, contact information, etc. The group raised less than $600. She was targeted as early as October 2010.

Central Texas 912 President, Maria Acosta joined Kristina Ribali from FreedomWorks to discuss being singled out by the Feds.

The IRS asked for back-end access to the group’s website.
And this is a tax question?

Geithner knew in June and kept it quiet because of the election. What about his boss?

WSJ:

Higher-Ups Knew of IRS Case
Hearing Shows Obama Administration Officials Were Told in June 2012 of Probe Into Tea-Party Targeting

By JOHN D. MCKINNON, SIOBHAN HUGHES and DAMIAN PALETTA

The Internal Revenue Service's watchdog told top Treasury officials around June 2012 he was investigating the tax agency's targeting of conservative groups, for the first time indicating that Obama administration officials were aware of the explosive matter in the midst of the president's re-election campaign.

The disclosure to the Treasury general counsel and the deputy secretary was a cursory one, according to J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration. He said he didn't reveal conclusions of the probe, which was in its early stages, and his disclosure came as part of a routine update to Treasury leaders. At the time, Republican lawmakers were complaining publicly about alleged IRS targeting of tea-party groups.

The revelation nonetheless raised a fresh set of questions about who was aware of the problem within the Obama administration. It was one of several new details that emerged during a contentious four-hour House committee hearing Friday, held one week after an IRS official revealed at a legal conference that the agency had taken "absolutely inappropriate" actions in targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status for often heavy-handed scrutiny.

Among other disclosures: The conference revelation was itself stage-managed. Ousted IRS acting Commissioner Steven Miller testified he planned it with the director of the division in question. Republican lawmakers expressed amazement that IRS officials didn't tell them first.

The hearing left numerous other fundamental questions unanswered, however, including who ordered the targeting and why it continued so long, pointing to a protracted investigation ahead. Mr. Miller conceded the agency likely disciplined the wrong employee in one effort to address the problem. Another was reassigned in the agency's Cincinnati office, but he couldn't provide the employee's name.

Following the hearing, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.), who led the proceedings, expressed frustration and left open the possibility of issuing subpoenas to the IRS. "I think the most interesting revelation was the overall arrogance of the IRS and the lack of information from somebody who was in charge," Mr. Camp said.

The Treasury Department, in a statement, confirmed officials were notified in June 2012 that an audit had begun. It added an underlined sentence, "Treasury strongly supports the independent oversight of its three Inspectors General, and it does not interfere in ongoing IG audits."

Treasury also said Neal Wolin, the deputy secretary, didn't notify anyone outside of Treasury that the audit was under way and that Mr. Wolin and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew "learned about [the inspector general's] findings when they were reported publicly last week." A White House aide said Friday that Treasury officials didn't share the information with White House officials.

White House officials say they learned about the targeting of conservative groups from the report, and not before. President Barack Obama on Thursday said, "I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG report before the IG report had been leaked through the press."

At the hearing, lawmakers of both parties expressed anger that IRS officials didn't reveal the problems to them in 2012. GOP lawmakers, after receiving complaints from tea-party groups about IRS scrutiny, asked then-commissioner Douglas Shulman about that in March 2012. He testified before the Ways and Means committee then that there was "absolutely no targeting," but he didn't correct his testimony after learning of the problems in May, according to congressional investigators. Mr. Shulman couldn't be reached for comment.

Several other IRS officials, including Mr. Miller, didn't disclose the problems to lawmakers in letters and testimony. Mr. Miller Friday cited the continuing inspector-general investigation, even though he obtained an internal IRS investigation in May 2012 that came to some of the same conclusions as the inspector general report.

"I was not going to go there because I did not have full possession of the facts, sir," Mr. Miller said at one point.

In sometimes combative testimony, Mr. Miller also took exception to the idea that the IRS had engaged in targeting conservative groups, pointing out that groups representing other ideologies also were caught up in the extra review.

The inspector general's report said that based on a statistical sample, "all cases with Tea Party, Patriots or 9/12 in their names were forwarded" for extra scrutiny. Many of the cases were delayed for years.

Lawmakers of both parties questioned his response.

"Throughout this time, the IRS leadership has demonstrated a total disregard for the oversight role of the Congress and this committee," said Rep. Sander Levin (D., Mich.), the committee's top Democrat. Mr. Shulman "had an obligation to return to this committee and set this record straight. So did Mr. Miller."

"How was that not misleading this committee?" said Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) to Mr. Miller. "How can we not conclude that you misled this committee?"

"I did not mislead the committee," Mr. Miller responded, adding later, "I answered the question truthfully."

Messrs. Miller and George, the inspector general, said so far they had discovered no evidence that the targeting was politically motivated, and Mr. Miller described it as a bungled way to try and screen applicants.

Later Friday, the woman who posed the question at a conference to IRS official Lois Lerner—the moment last week that first revealed the problems at the IRS—said Ms. Lerner planted the query. Washington lawyer Celia Roady said in a statement that Ms. Lerner provided her the question to ask. She added that Ms. Lerner "did not tell me, and I did not know, how she would answer the question."

The IRS didn't respond to requests for comment from Ms. Lerner, who runs the exempt-organizations unit at the agency.

Mr. Miller said the IRS, meanwhile, had "called to get on the calendar" to also brief the Ways and Means committee—a statement Republicans met with barely disguised disbelief.

Mr. Camp and other GOP lawmakers suggested a pattern of efforts to use the IRS to attack conservatives. Those include a White House official's discussion in mid-2010, during a briefing with reporters, of the purported tax-filing status of Koch Industries. Its owners are big donors to conservative causes. The tax-filing status of businesses is often confidential. The White House said in 2010 that the official's statement "was not based on any review of tax filings." It promised not to use the example in the future.

In an interview, Mr. Levin said the IG's report to Treasury officials constituted only "a brief reference," that he doubted was communicated up the chain.
—Peter Nicholas

Dear Lord, please smite the IRS

During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing today, Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., grilled outgoing IRS commissioner Steven Miller about the IRS targeting a pro-life group in Iowa.“Their question, specifically asked from the IRS to the Coalition for Life of Iowa: ‘Please detail the content of the members of your organization’s prayers,’" Schock declared.

story here

Quick Summary

The official position of the Obama administration as news story after news story has broken over the past week (with thanks to Right Truth):

J.J. Cale w/ Leon Russell

In Session at the Paradise Studios

I SAY IT IS

TIME TO REPEAL

THE SIXTEENTH AMENDMENT

AND ABOLISH

THE IRS

I'D SAY CRIMINALIZE THE IRS BUT THAT WOULD BE REDUNDANT

The Blaze:

The Scathing Speech That Just Got a Standing Ovation During the IRS Hearing

The gallery at the House Ways and Means Committee Friday had to be called to order after it burst into applause and some gave a standing ovation following an impassioned diatribe against the IRS by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Kelly.

Kelly took his time during the hearing on the IRS’s targeting of conservatives to lambaste outgoing head Steven Miller, reminding Miller that while the IRS would like to chalk the organization’s recent actions up to a mistake, regular Americans do not get that luxury when dealing with the IRS.

“If you think it’s uncomfortable sitting over there you ought to be a private individual when the IRS is across from you asking you questions,” Kelly began, and that set the tone for the subsequent four minutes.

Some of the highlights:

• “I have a grandson who’s afraid to get out of bed at night because he thinks there’s someone under the bed that’s going to grab him. And I think most Americans feel that way about the IRS.”
• “This kind of reconfirms that, you know what, they [the IRS] can do almost anything they want to anybody they want, anytime they want. This is very chilling for the American people.”
• “This is a Pandora’s Box that has been opened and I don’t think we can get the lid back on it.”
• “I don’t believe the White House just found out about this in a news report.”
• “I got to tell you, where you’re sitting, you should be outraged — and you’re not. The American people should be outraged, and they are.”
• “This reconfirms everything the American public believes! This is a huge blow to the faith and trust the American people have in their government!”
• “Is there any limit to the scope of where you folks can go?”
• “It’s sure as hell intimidating. And I don’t’ know that I got any answers from you today.”
• “I am more concerned today than I was before. The fact that you all can do just about anything you want to anybody. You know, you can put anybody out of business that you want anytime you want.”
• “And when the IRS comes in, you’re not allowed to be shoddy, you’re not allowed to be run horribly, you’re not allowed to make mistakes, you’re not allowed to do one damn thing that doesn’t come in compliance. If you do, you’re held responsible right then.”
• “This is absolutely an overreach and this is an outrage for all America!”

How do you suppose this would have ended if the driver had been armed with only a cellphone to call the cops?

Daily Caller:

Flashback: Schumer, Franken urged IRS to target tea party in 2012

Long before the Internal Revenue Service revealed it had improperly targeted conservative 501(c)(4) groups, a group of Democratic senators led by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer urged the IRS to do just that.

The IRS’s admission last Friday that it had singled out tea party and other groups for extra audits and delays has raised concerns that President Barack Obama’s administration quietly attempted to stymy opponents through intimidation. But many prominent Democrats — including Montana Sen. Max Baucus, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the New York Times editorial board — had been publicly calling for tighter restrictions on 501(c)(4) groups affiliated with the tea party and conservatives.

Last year, Schumer, along with Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff Merkley, Tom Udall, Jeanne Shaheen and Al Franken, penned a letter calling on the agency to cap the amount of the political spending by groups masquerading as “social welfare organizations.”

 

A press release from Schumer’s office dated March 12, 2012 laid out the terms of the letter:

The senators said the lack of clarity in the IRS rules has allowed political groups to improperly claim 501(c)4 status and may even be allowing donors to these groups to wrongly claim tax deductions for their contributions. The senators promised legislation if the IRS failed to act to fix these problems.
“We urge the IRS to take these steps immediately to prevent abuse of the tax code by political groups focused on federal election activities.  But if the IRS is unable to issue administrative guidance in this area then we plan to introduce legislation to accomplish these important changes,” the senators wrote.

The letter cited a March 7, 2012 New York Times article by Jonathan Weisman that suggested donations to groups like American Crossroads and Priorities USA could be tax deductible, which was a primary concern of those senators at the time.

A number of those senators participated in a press conference about their efforts on March 21, 2012, and Franken spoke out about what he called lack of oversight of 501(c)(4) status.

“I think that there hasn’t been enforcement by the FEC and the IRS, and so there are entities that are taking a 501(c)4 status, and under that they’re supposed to have more than half of their activity be non-political,” Franken said. “That’s pretty hinky. I mean, they really aren’t doing that, and that I think there needs to be a look at that — that even under the laws that already exist, there are people who should be disclosing who aren’t. And I think that is where we’re seeing the effect of — lack of effective enforcement and just oversight.”

Mail Online:

'Is this still America?' Congressional hearing turns into IRS smackdown as disgraced former commissioner and Treasury Inspector General face tea-party scandal questions

• Appointee in charge of screening tax-exempt applications is now in charge of implementing new Obamacare taxes
• Ousted Steven Miller defends himself, insists that targeting of conservatives was 'foolish mistakes,' not political gamesmanship
• May 10 leak that launched the scandal was 'prepared,' Miller acknowledges
• Former IRS commissioner testified last year that there was 'absolutely no targeting' going on
• Democrats on the panel blame 2010 'Citizens United' Supreme Court ruling for creating a flood of tax-exemption applications during an election year

By David Martosko In Washington
PUBLISHED: 09:09 EST, 17 May 2013 | UPDATED: 10:56 EST, 17 May 2013

 

The IRS under the Obama administration painted targets on the backs of conservatives beginning in 2010, and ousted acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller apologized to the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday. But members on both sides of the aisle were furious, and castigated him for the mismanagement and political gamesmanship the IRS engaged in on his watch.
Texas Republican congressman Kevin Brady had the harshest criticism for Miller.
‘Is this still America?' he asked him.
'Is this government so drunk on power that it would turn its full force, its full might, to harass, and intimidate, and threaten an average American who only wants her voice, their voices heard?’
'The American public deserves better,' Miller agreed. But both he and J. Russell George, the Treasury Department's Inspector General for Tax Administration, insisted that no IRS employees engaged in political witch-hunting.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

The House Ways and Means Committee held the first congressional hearing on the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative applicants for tax-exempt status with special scrutiny based on their politics. J. Russell George (L) and Steven Miller (R) were called on the carpet

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp castigated the former IRS acting commissioner for presiding over a corrupt system that played political favorites

'Is this still America'? IRS scandal chief gets smackdown

George oversaw the year-long internal probe that ended in a report released Wednesday. It concluded that the agency used 'inappropriate criteria' in selecting tax-exemption applications for closer scrutiny, but did not find any wrongdoing on the part of senior-level IRS officials.
Miller concurred with that finding, blaming the problem instead on 'foolish mistakes' while affirming that partisanship 'has no place at the IRS.'
President Barack Obama announced his removal on Wednesday, as a scandal unfolded involving the IRS targeting hundreds of right-wing organizations for intense scrutiny based on keywords like 'tea party' or 'patriots' in their names.
Miller wrote to IRS employees, however, that he was leaving at the end of his scheduled term in early June.
Ultimately, he conceded on Friday, he agreed to step down because responsibility for the IRS's activities 'stops at my desk.'

Michigan Democratic Rep. Sander Levin is the most senior Ways and Means Democrat to side with Republicans against IRS corruption

Committee chair Dave Camp, a Michigan Republican, stared down Miller, saying that 'this systemic abuse cannot be fixed with just one resignation.'
'And as much as I expect more people need to go, the reality is this is not a personnel problem,' Camp maintained. 'This is a problem of the IRS being too large, too powerful, too intrusive and too abusive of honest, hardworking taxpayers.'
Sander Levin, the panel's ranking Democrat, said the IRS and its employees 'have completely failed the American people' by 'singling out organizations for review based on their name or political views, rather than their activity.'
'All of us are angry about this on behalf of the nation,' the left-leaning Michigan congressman said.
Lois Lerner is the civil servant who heads up the IRS division in charge of evaluating charitable and other nonprofit organizations. Levin called for her head.

Lois Lerner, director of the IRS's Exempt Organizations section, told a legal conference on May 10 that her agency's Inspector General would soon publish a report about the unfair targeting of tea party groups for special tax scrutiny. Her disclosure, which Steven Miller conceded Friday was 'prepared,' launched the scandal

'Ms. Lerner should be relieved of her duties.' he said.
We must seek the truth, not political gain.'
In what Miller called 'a prepared Q-and-A' on May 10, Lerner told an American Bar Association conference about a pending IRS Inspector General report examining the targeting of conservative groups inside the IRS's Exempt Organizations section.
That admission started the media feeding frenzy that has spiraled into a full-blown scandal. The acknowledgement that Lerner went to the event with the intention of publicly disclosing the IG report's existence raised eyebrows on the congressional panel.
Illinois Republican Rep. Peter Roskam quizzed Miller about a phone conversation he said he had with Lerner about the planned disclosure, which Miller said was intended to coincide with a disclosure to Congress.
He agreed with Roskam, however, that Congress wasn't told at the same time a question was 'planted' at the bar association conference.
'We called to try to get on the calendar' of the Ways and Means Committee,' Miller said.
'You called to try to get on the calendar?' Roskam asked, incredulous. 'Is that all you've got?'
'It's the truth,' Miller responded.
Under questioning from California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, Miller said he would not commit to giving Congress his notes, phone records, and other evidence of conversations with Lerner.
Nunes reminded him that Congress could, and might, subpoena them.

'IS THIS STILL AMERICA?' Texas Rep. Kevin Brady slammed former IRS acting commissioner Steve Miller for presiding over the political persecution of a constituent whose tax-exempt application for her tea party group was subject to nearly 100 lengthy, intrusive questions

Lerner's superior, Sarah Hall Ingram, was the most senior political appointee in charge of exempt organizations reviews during the years when the IRS was targeting right-wing groups. This year the Obama administration has elevated her to a position of authority over the tax implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the president's signature health care overhaul.

Miller called her 'a superb civil servant,' and said he promoted her to her current position.
In a flurry of press releases, broadcast statements and tweets, conservatives have lashed out at Ingram, suggesting a level of corruption on her part that could compromise the fair and impartial implementation of Obamacare.
Ingram 'allowed and possibly encouraged the outrageous and discriminatory tactics toward Tea Party Patriots based on political ideology, clearly violating her supposedly unbiased office,' said Jenny Beth Martin, the group's national coordinator.
'We ... do not trust anyone who was involved in targeting tea party groups to administer the Affordable Health Care Act in a fair and equal manner,' Martin added.
'We certainly do not trust Sarah Hall Ingram to be anywhere near our incredibly sensitive health care decisions.  It appears the administration has rewarded her for allowing the discriminatory actions rather than disciplining her. She must be terminated or resign immediately for her disgraceful actions.'

New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel complained that the Supreme Court's 'Citizens United' ruling created an environment ripe for abuse of political donations, making the IRS's job impossible to do fairly

In a stunning flashback moment, Louisiana Republican Rep. Charles Boustany played a video clip showing former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman testifying before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight in March 2012.
'Can you give us assurances that the IRS is not targeting particular groups based on political leanings?' Boustany, the subcommittee's chairman, asked Shulman then.
'There's absolutely no targeting,' the then-commissioner responded in 2012. 'This is the kind of back-and-forth that happens when people apply for 501(c)(4) status.'
Asked Friday if this was a lie, Miller said 'It was incorrect.'
'But whether or not it was untruthful --' he continued, without reaching a conclusion.
'Why did you mislead Congress and the American people on this?' Boustany asked.
'Congressman, I did not mislead Congress or the American people,' Miller responded.
Washington Democrat Jim McDermott, a reliable liberal partisan, acknowledged that 'the IRS stiff-armed us, basically, at best,' in past testimony, but defended the agency''s behavior.
Tax 'examiners took a shortcut,' in the face of a flood of new applications for tax-exempt status, he said, 'which they deeply regret'
Still, he conceded that it was wrong to treat groups differently because of their political positions.
'As much as I dislike the right,' he said, 'I think it's wrong to be un-evenhanded in government application' of laws and regulations.

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan slammed Miller for failing to tell the Ways and Means Committee what he knew during a previous hearing

Paul Ryan, the Republicans' vice presidential nominee in 2012, slammed Miller for what he said was less-than-truthful testimony when he appeared before a subcommittee last year. Although he had been briefed by then about the problems with tax-exempt applications from tea party groups, he said nothing.
Miller hid material facts from Congress, Ryan said.
'How can we conclude that you did not mislead this committee?'
Miller fired back. 'I stand by my answers,' he said, saying that the word '"harassment" implies political motivation' on the part of IRS employees.
'There was no political motivation,' he insisted.

The Tea Party Patriots and other conservative groups provided a powerful rallying force during the 2010 midterm elections. It was around the same time that the Obama administration's IRS began targeting such groups that applied for tax-exempt nonprofit status

Washington Republican Rep. Dave Reichert picked up that thread when it was his turn to ask questions.
'Do you not believe it's your job to provide us with the information that you knew?' he demanded.
'You're a law-enforcement agency, for crying out loud.'
'I answered all questions truthfully,' Miller responded.
'You're not going to cooperate,' said Reichert, dismissing him and moving on to question George.
The hearing is the first in what will likely be a series of inquisitions from Congress about the IRS scandal, just one of the three hanging over the Obama administration.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hold its own hearing on May 22, taking testimony from Lois Lerner, former IRS Commissioner Shulman, and Treasury Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin.

Barack Obama (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan (L) held a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden on Thursday, but the president was hammered on his domestic scandals. Asked if anyone in the White House knew about the IRS's targeting of right-wing groups before the White House Counsel was notified around April 22, Obama would only say that he personally had no knowledge of it

New York Democrat Charles Rangel took issue with the Supreme Court's 2010 'Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission' ruling, which he said created en environment that resulted in the IRS's malfeasance.
The underlying problem, he said, was a resulting law 'almost written for abuse,' as it prohibits Congress from interfering with 501(c)(4) groups' political spending.
The Citizens United Ruling is generally credited with creating a flood of applications for tax-exempt status with the IRS, including hundreds from conservative groups hoping to capitalize on their newfound power to influence national politics with untraceable dollars.
'This is not "Democrat or Republican,"' Range said. 'It relates to the integrity of the government.'
'We're on the same side as far as determining how this happened.'
Rangel told Miller that he wanted the 'tens of thousands of IRS employees [to] have the stigma of corruption taken away from them.'

'Whether this is criminal activity or a mistake,' the New York Democrat said, 'I don't know.'

Weekly Standard:

Report: IRS Deliberately Chose Not to Fess Up to Scandal Before Election
"[I]f this fact came out in September 2012, in the middle of a presidential election? The terrain would have looked very different."

NBC's Lisa Myers reported this morning that the IRS  deliberately chose not to reveal that it had wrongly targeted conservative groups until after the 2012 presidential election:



The IRS commissioner "has known for at least a year that this was going on," said Myers, "and that this had happened. And did he share any of that information with the White House? But even more importantly, Congress is going to ask him, why did you mislead us for an entire year? Members of Congress were saying conservatives are being targeted. What's going on here? The IRS denied it. Then when -- after these officials are briefed by the IG that this is going on, they don't disclose it. In fact, the commissioner sent a letter to Congress in September on this subject and did not reveal this. Imagine if we -- if you can -- what would have happened if this fact came out in September 2012, in the middle of a presidential election? The terrain would have looked very different."

"CHANGE" - Russian warships enter Mediterranean to form permanent task force

"CHANGE" - Russian warships enter Mediterranean to form permanent task force

From Will at THE OTHER NEWS:

Adm Panteleyev

"CHANGE" - Russian warships enter Mediterranean to form permanent task force.(RT)

“The task force has successfully passed through the Suez Channel and entered the Mediterranean. It is the first time in decades that Pacific Fleet warships enter this region,” the Pacific Fleet spokesman, Capt. First Rank Roman Martov told RIA.

The vessels are now heading to Cyprus and will make a port call in the city of Limassol, he added. 
The group includes destroyer “Admiral Panteleyev,” two amphibious warfare ships “Peresvet” and “Admiral Nevelskoi,” as well as a tanker and a tugboat. 
The ships left the Far-Eastern port city of Vladivostok on March 19 to join Russia’s Mediterranean task force, which currently consists of vessels from Northern, Baltic, and the Black Sea Fleets, including a large anti-submarine ship, a frigate and a Ropucha-II Class landing ship.

Russian Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov on Sunday announced plans for the Mediterranean task force and said that it may “possibly” be enlarged to include nuclear submarines. “Overall, already from this year, we plan to have 5-6 warships and support vessels [in the Mediterranean Sea], which will be replaced on a rotating basis from each of the fleets – the Black Sea, Baltic, Northern and, in some cases, even the Pacific Fleet.

Depending on the scope of assignments and their complexity, the number of warships in the task force may be increased,” Chirkov said, as quoted by RIA. Russian submarines may be deployed in the region “in perspective,” the Navy Commander said, reminding that both nuclear and diesel submarines were present in the Soviet Union’s 5th Mediterranean Squadron. “Everything will depend on the situation,” Chirkov said, also leaving the door open for missions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The task force will be “comprehensively trained” to meet situations that may arise in these regions too, he said. The Russian Defense Ministry announced setting up a naval task force in the Mediterranean in April, while the country’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said a permanent naval task force was needed to defend Russia’s interests in the region.

The permanent fleet’s headquarters will be set up in the summer of 2013, although their actual location is yet to be announced. 

The Mediterranean has recently become a hotspot of military muscle flexing as global powers seemingly vie for influence.
NATO has been staging major naval war games involving several countries, last October holding an exercise code-named Noble Mariner 12. Russia held its largest naval exercises in the region this January, with drills spanning both the Black and Mediterranean Seas. The media quickly linked both the NATO and Russian war games to the situation in Syria.

Another recent naval display, seen as provocative by Israel, was the deployment of the Iranian Navy’s 24th fleet to patrol the Mediterranean and convey a “message of peace.” Since then, Israel has acquired its fifth Dolphin-class submarine allegedly capable of launching cruise missiles with nuclear warheads.

China has also been increasing its involvement in the area, with the country’s warships sailing through the Suez Canal, and several key ports of the region becoming partially China-owned.

Major naval groups serving in the Mediterranean Sea include NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2, French Naval Action Force, and the US Navy 6th Fleet. The only Russian naval installation in the region has for decades been the maintenance facility in the Syrian city of Tartus..I think this could pass as an 'answer' to pres Obama's letter to Pres Putin.Read the full story here. 

Obama: ‘I Offer NO APOLOGIES’ For The Current Scandals

Obama: ‘I Offer NO APOLOGIES’ For The Current Scandals

From Will at THE OTHER NEWS:

President Barack Obama dodged questions Thursday about the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups, shifted responsibility for the Benghazi attack to Congress, and said ‘I offer no apologies’ for the Department of Justice’s secret seizure of reporter’s phone records in search of a classified intelligence leak.

In a rain-soaked Rose Garden press conference originally intended to be a victory lap for the United States’ relationship with Turkey, Obama stood alongside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and fielded questions which quickly shifted to the trio of scandals that are engulfing his administration.

Beginning in 2010, Obama’s IRS targeted a list of approximately 300 tea party-related and other conservative groups for aggressive scrutiny following their applications for tax-exempt status.

His Department of Justice secretly spied on the Associated Press’s phone records in an attempt to trace a national security leak. And his State Department political appointees intervened in the aftermath of the 2012 terror attack on an American diplomatic outpost in Libya, in a process that resulted in a misleading set of talking points which ignored terrorism in favor of a more muted explanation, in the midst of a re-election campaign.

On the IRS scandal, Obama wouldn’t commit to saying no one at the White House knew about the targeting of conservative groups before the White House Counsel was informed just days ago.

He spoke of various measures he was recommending, to ‘learn the lessons of Benghazi.’ But he referred to the murders of four Americans there as an ‘incident,’ not a terror attack.Read the full story here.

Bob Woodward: ‘I Would Not Dismiss Benghazi,’ Compares Scandal to Watergate

Weekly Standard:

“But if you read through all these e-mails, you see that everyone in the government is saying, ‘Oh, let’s not tell the public that terrorists were involved, people connected to al Qaeda. Let’s not tell the public that there were warnings.’ I hate to show, this is one of the documents with the editing that one of the people in the state department said, ‘Oh, let’s not let these things out.’ And I have to go back 40 years to Watergate when Nixon put out his edited transcripts to the conversations, and he personally went through them and said, ‘Oh, let’s not tell this, let’s not show this.’ I would not dismiss Benghazi. It’s a very serious issue. As people keep saying, four people were killed. You look at the hydraulic pressure that was in the system to not tell the truth, and, you know, we use this term and the government uses this term, talking points. Talking points, as we know, are like legal briefs. They’re an argument on one side. What we need to get rid of talking point and they need to put out statements or papers that are truth documents. Okay, this is all we know.”