IRS official Lois Lerner put on administrative leave

[DonViejo]

Source: WaPo


Thursday, May 23, 2013 5:33:20 PM

National News Alert



Lois Lerner, the director of the tax-exempt organizations division at the Internal Revenue Service, has been placed on administrative leave, a congressional source familiar with the move confirmed.

Lerner revealed on May 10 that employees in the IRS's tax-exempt unit in Cincinnati had improperly scrutinized applications from dozens of organizations.

On Wednesday, she invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.




Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/05/23/lois-lerner-put-on-administrative-leave/

[Laurian]

1. With pay, I assume.

[sulphurdunn]

4. Of course.

Furthermore, it was smart of her to take the 5th. Why should she give the witch hunters matches? When it's over she'll either be quietly reinstated for will retire and sue the feds for a bundle. The only shameful thing here is how fast the Democrats tried to sacrifice her to placate the implacable Republican political cult. Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong, bu has Obama ever drawn a line in the sand and taken a principled stand on anything relating to domestic policy?

[liam_laddie]

2. Lerner is a Bush appointee, FWIW n/t

[DonViejo]

3. And donated $2,500 to Romney in the last election. nt

[former9thward]

7. Where are you getting that from?

opensecrets.org says no one by that name donated anything to anyone in 2012

[former9thward]

6. Lerner is not a Bush appointee.

She is a career government employee appointed by no one.

[Psephos]

8. No, she's a civil hire who started in the late 1980s. n/t

[24601]

9. Career civil service - not a temp SES or Sched C.

[sulphurdunn]

5. Lerner was doing her job.

The scandal is that Obama didn't tell the Republicans to fuck off.

[24601]

10. No, the scandal is that the WH staff didn't inform the President that there was the scandal. The

problem with that theory is that the President, like the captain of a ship, is responsible whether on watch or in sick bay.

[marshall]

14. He ought to be livid with his staff

Why on earth do they think it was a good idea to keep him ignorant?

[JoePhilly]

15. Let's see ...

Scenario 1: Obama knows about the investigation. The GOP screams bloody murder claiming that he tampered with the investigation because he was behind the activities of the IRS.

Scenario 2: Obama doesn't know about the investigation. The GOP screams bloody murder claiming that Obama should have known about what the IRS was doing.

Bottom line: The GOP screams bloody murder no matter what happens. This is true at all times. All scenarios.

[marshall]

17. But it's better to be informed than to be ignorant

Regardless of what the GOP does or does't do, it's the staff's job to keep their boss informed about what is going on! At least what they know--they couldn't have informed him about anything before they themselves knew it. But had the President known about this earlier than watching it on the news reports with the rest of us he possibly could have done something to put a better face on it. At the very least he could have put Lois Lerner on leave before it all hit the fan.

[24601]

21. But that's the fundamental problem - placing political gamesmanship above running the Executive

Branch of Government.

You tell a pilot that one engine is out and another is sputtering. You don't hold back the information because it might create bad publicity for the airline.

The President has been ill-served by his staff.

On day one that anyone on the staff knew, the President should been in the Press Room making the following points:

- "I have just informed the Vice President and Speaker of the House of the following:"

- "The White House Staff and I were informed today that a Department of Treasury IG report is concluding that the following actions tool place within the IRS......"

- "Neither I, not anyone in the White House will influence the report in any, way shape or form. I have directed the Secretary of the Treasury to follow all laws and federal regulations regarding the handling and dissemination of this report."

- "Personnel matters will be handled in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the civil service."

- "If and when appropriate, the matter will be referred to the Department of Justice."

- "I wasn't jerking you off with piss-ant political bullshit about being transparent and all that shit. The full, un-redacted report will be provided to Congress the day it is signed and, after redactions to comply with the Privacy act, posted online."

- "Certainly Elected officials and senior political appointees view matter through a political lens. That, however is improper for members of the career civil service and will not be tolerated. The standard we will follow is that there can be no impropriety or the appearance of impropriety."

- "To avoid improper influence, there will be no further statements from me or anyone in the White House until the the matter is closed. Refer all questions to the Department of Treasury Public Affairs Office."

[sulphurdunn]

16. The captain can delegate

authority, not responsibility, whether at the helm or in the hold or anywhere else on board. The same is true for presidents, and is the first principle of leadership for anyone.

[Jesus Malverde]

11. The most shocking part of her testimony was that she

was responsible for a budget of almost $100 million. That struck me like a lot of money for administrative role.

With only 900 employees, thats around $111,000 per employee.

[xtraxritical]

12. The IRS was doing it's job, reviewing "nonprofit" application status.

Many, many other groups, liberal too, had their status reviewed. Bush's IRS did the same thing.

"Lerner revealed on May 10 that employees in the IRS's tax-exempt unit in Cincinnati had improperly scrutinized applications from dozens of organizations."

That is bull shit, it was "properly" their job.

[John2]

13. It is another example,

of the attack on the Obama Administration with Benghazi, News reporters and now the IRS. It is a conserted effort from the rightwing and those calling themselves purists on the Left to attach blame to the Obama Administration. Lerner should resign period after her stunt with the apology. She did not defend the Policy but instead tried to place blame on low level employees or left the perception this was targeting by Democrats on conservative groups. Yet like with FOX and the Talking points, they try to create an atmosphere of the Obama Administration either being corrupt or incompetent. You have to be smart to look through all this smoke and identify who has the real daggers and their real motives.

The best way to do it is to look at whom they are defending, to know which side they are really for. Fox and the corporate media to a lesser degree, are staunch supporters of the Republican agenda. Miss Lerner placed blame on the IRS targeting conservatives but was no where to be found during the NAACP debacle. She got her authority during Republican Administrations and was there through their administrations while Liberal organizations were targeted by Republicans. She is also from corporate America. Then with Benghazi, Rice was painted by the same people as corrupt and blood thirsty in favor of Kerry, who initiated the same Policies, they accused of Rice. This is all to cause confusion, enabling the Right in their efforts to gain power once again. Lerner has declared innocence, well we shall see after the DOJ's investigation led by Holder. Holder by the way is the Attorney General, these same people are increasing their cries on for resigning. I hope he remains put and continue to investigate them. We will know if this woman is innocent or the cat that ate the canary, from Holder's investigation. She needed counsel and to invoke the fifth because Holder's investigation is the only one I trust in the matter.

[marshall]

18. She was asked to resign but refused

Now she is on paid administrative leave. That implies she is suspected of wrongdoing, despite her allocution of innocence.

[xtraxritical]

19. I think refusing to resign is an indication of vindication.

You are casting aspersions.

[marshall]

20. No, being put on administrative leave casts apsersions

It indicates someone above her in her chain of comman believes she could be guilty of some type of wrongdoing.