What's the point of Obama sacking Steven T. Miller for stuff that Douglas H. Shulman did? re: IRS

[Electric Monk]

Douglas H. Shulman[12] Mar 24, 2008 - Nov 9, 2012
Steven T. Miller (Acting) Nov 10, 2012 - May 15, 2013

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioner_of_Internal_Revenue

Beginning in March 2010, the IRS more closely scrutinized certain organizations applying for tax-exempt status as not-for-profit organizations[3] by focusing on groups with certain words in their names.

(snip)

At least as early as mid-2011, higher-ranking IRS officials knew that conservative groups primarily were being targeted.[12]

On 4 August 2011, the chief counsel of the IRS met with the agency's Rulings and Agreements unit "so that everyone would have the latest information on the issue."[13]

By March 2012 the issue was enough in the public eye that the New York Times editorialized that...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_Tea_Party_investigation

[zbdent]

1. As I understand it, Bush appointee Shulman

LIED TO CONGRESS ... like the Repugs thought was such an EVIL offense in the 90s ... when he said that "no conservative orgs were singled out".

But then, the "liberally-biased media" isn't going to point that stuff out ...

[Electric Monk]

3. Right, it happened under Shulman, but Miller was the one to fall on his sword today.

[KoKo]

9. I thought: "There's something UP with THAT!" Either it's Obama caving again to cover

over things and Move On...or there's a move afoot to trash IRS for going after what they SHOULD BE GOING AFTER... Those 501 (c) 1,2,3's or Whatever that they've made up to SCAM THE SYSTEM on both Right and LEFT after "Citizens United" became sanction by Supreme Court.

That Obama would Fire the Guy who had NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS...(throw him under the bus) with no explanation was wrong. He should have explained WHY this guy who had nothing to do with this should suffer for the one who was there when the Wrongdoing Occured!

[blm]

2. Feb2013:Mitch McConnell Had Previously Floated Karl Rove Idea To Target Weak Tea Party Candidates

Tea Party should blame themselves - they wanted Republicans to block all of Obama's appointees, leaving Bush's head of IRS in there and he made the choice to go after Tea Party groups instead of huge political players like Rove's Crossroads who also wanted to stop Tea Party candidates from primarying GOP senators and congressmen. McConnell definitely wanted Tea Party out of his race.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/09/mitch-mcconnell-karl-rove_n_2652927.html


Mitch McConnell Had Previously Floated Karl Rove Idea To Target Weak Tea Party Candidates

[former9thward]

4. Not what happened.

IRS commissioner is appointed for a five year term. Shulman was not "left in there". He simply filed out his term which ended in 2012. Obama never appointed anyone to the job.

[blm]

6. Generally speaking they support the blocking. And the point that Shulman is a Republican

and GOP senators and congressmen have actively worked against primary challenges from the Tea Party stands, as well.

Basic point is that GOP lawmakers have worked more actively against the Tea Party than any Dem has. Dems have rooted FOR the Tea Party candidates in primary races.

[MotherPetrie]

5. To try to appease teabaggers, i.e. an utterly pointless (and typically unfair) exercise in futility

[Electric Monk]

7. This was answered in another thread. Here's what they wrote:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022849658#post5

Yo_Mama (3,590 posts)
5. It wasn't the wrong guy.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/steven-miller-irs-commissioner-resigns/
Apparently he failed to respond accurately to Congress on multiple occasions:

May 3: Deputy Commissioner Steven Miller is told by staff that that applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were inappropriately singled out for extra scrutiny, according to the agency. (Miller now is acting commissioner.)

June 15: Miller responds to a letter from Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., who had raised concerns about possible harassment of tea party groups by the IRS. Miller does not concede conservatives had been singled out. He says generally that the IRS is seeing more tax-exempt applications from politically active groups and taking steps to "coordinate the handling of the case to ensure consistency."

July 25: Miller testifies to the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee but does not divulge what he was told in May about the screening of tea party groups.

Sept. 11: Millers writes a letter responding to Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee but again does not own up to the scrutiny conservatives were placed under. Hatch had written three times to the IRS about the complaints.

There is no way that this would be acceptable to Congress. The agency IG report apparently establishes that Miller had been informed of the problem, and then he did not tell Congress what he knew. Obama had to axe him.

[JaneyVee]

8. Oof, especially lying under oath. Not acceptable.