Justice Dept. investigating missing IRS emails

[alp227]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is investigating the circumstances behind the disappearance of emails from a former senior Internal Revenue Service official, part of a broader criminal inquiry into whether the agency had targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, according to congressional testimony released Wednesday.

In a statement to be delivered to a congressional committee on Thursday, Deputy Attorney General James Cole says investigators are looking into emails that went missing from the computer of Lois Lerner.

Cole was to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has been investigating the matter. He declined to provide additional information about the investigation, according to prepared remarks issued ahead of his appearance.

The IRS has said it lost the emails in 2011 when Lerner's computer crashed. At the time, Lerner headed the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/justice-dept-investigating-missing-irs-emails

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But but but...Obama is distracting from BENGHAZI or the ILLEGAL ALIEN CRISIS or...

[madville]

1. Good chance that

The DOJ ends up prosecuting Lerner. Would it be better to charge her before or after the midterms is the question, can see pros and cons to it either way. Could be better to do it before and take the wind out of Issa's sails.

[ballyhoo]

2. There is zero chance the justice department will prosecute Lerner.

ddddd

[IronGate]

4. Why do you say that? nt.

[ballyhoo]

7. If justice prosecutes Lerner, then they

also have to prosecute functionaries in the IRS who facilitated the destruction of the emails. Do you really think a Justice Department run by Eric Holder is going to tangle with the IRS during the final years of the Obama administration? No way.

[Lurks Often]

8. I think it will depend on

whether Lerner is the most senior person involved in the alleged acts or not. If she is in fact the most senior person involved, then DOJ may consider charges. If she is not the most senior person involved, then DOJ will sweep it under the carpet. Considering she has been with the IRS since 2001, it is unlikely that she would suddenly decide to commit the alleged acts on her own and jeopardize a 33+ year government career and her pension.

[Rod Beauvex]

3. Riddle me this.

Would this even have been discussed if the IRS had been accused of targeting liberal groups?

[Stryst]

5. No way in hell

Look at the right wing attacks against ACORN, or Planned Parenthood. We on the left are conditioned to be always on guard and always make sure our ships are tight, because we know that any Republican official who might have the power will attack, attempt to defund, or push to either privatize or pass the burden of public service and charity onto a church group.

Right wing groups, or groups that the right likes never have those fears. Look at the fact that the NFL is considered a nonprofit. It's clearly abusing the rules, but can you imagine the uproar if anyone attacked that particular hypocrisy?

[Android3.14]

6. If the IRS were targeting liberal groups and then covered it up, perhaps.

It's rarely the crime that makes the scandal. It's the coverup.

[blm]

11. Get real - whoever applied for tax exempt status was scrutinized for political activity when

the names of their group used identifiable political terms. That's the JOB of those overseeing tax exempt applications.

Issa manufactured this 'appearance' of a scandal when he ordered the Inspector General to ONLY report on the scrutiny of RW groups. If anything, the justice department should track this entire scandal to Issa and Rove.

From The Hill/June2013:
The Treasury inspector general (IG) whose report helped drive the IRS targeting controversy says it limited its examination to conservative groups because of a request from House Republicans.

A spokesman for Russell George, Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration, said they were asked by House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) “to narrowly focus on Tea Party organizations.”

The inspector general’s audit found that groups seeking tax-exempt status with “Tea Party” and “patriots” in their name did receive extra attention from the IRS, with some facing years of delay and inappropriate questions from the agency.
But top congressional Democrats have wielded new information from the IRS this week that liberal groups were also flagged for extra attention on the sorts of “be on the lookout” lists (BOLOs) that also tripped up conservative groups.

The spokesman for the Treasury inspector general noted their audit acknowledged there were other watch lists. But the spokesman added: "We did not review the use, disposition, purpose or content of the other BOLOs. That was outside the scope of our audit.”
-------

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/307813-irs-ig-says-audit-limited-to-tea-party-groups#ixzz37kA2Sr4F

[Android3.14]

14. I agree, but I'm talking about the emails

They don't just go missing.

[blm]

16. Mine do and have 4 different times when my computer crashed since 2004. Why would

emails from 2009-early 2011 be so much more essential than emails from early 2011-2013 that WERE turned over, especially given the GOP's (lie)premise that it was all about stopping the groups from participating in 2012 election?

[Android3.14]

20. Back-up, server back-ups, recipient mailboxes, etc.

I used to think that too, but then I crashed my computer at school, and the IT department was able to restore my emails from a server back-up. I also read this, which, along with explaining the somewhat plausible situation in which she lost her emails as result of a computer crash and showing that most of the "lost" emails were actually recovered using the techniques I pointed out in the subject line, includes this bit, "Emails that leave the agency travel through the Internet using servers outside the IRS system. When asked if that leaves a digital breadcrumb trail that one might follow, Gerretson replied, "Always, but it's not easy."

I'm not saying she did something wrong. I am saying the disappeared emails looked suspicious to the casual observer, just as it was suspicious when it happened in the Bush White House.

[blm]

21. Looks is one thing - facts another. emails from a timeframe that is irrelevant

to the charges.

[Nitram]

9. the IRS did not "target conservative groups"

The IRS investigated the legitimacy of both conservative and liberal political groups applying for status as charitable organizations. As they are required to do by law.

[YarnAddict]

10. As I understand it,

the biggest problem was that there were no determinations made in the cases of "patriot" groups. Without an outright denial, these groups couldn't appeal, and were stuck in a state of limbo throughout the last election cycle.

[blm]

12. You understand it wrong, then.

PS - If they were claiming to NOT be political groups, then how could it effect their "non-political' work during an election year?

[YarnAddict]

13. Um . . .

This from Wikipedia:

The 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) categories are for politically active nonprofit organizations, which have become increasingly important since the 2004 federal elections. . .

. . .501(c)(4) organizations may inform the public on controversial subjects and attempt to influence legislation relevant to its program[44] and, unlike 501(c)(3) organizations, they may also participate in political campaigns and elections, as long as their primary activity is the promotion of social welfare.[45]

(Italics added by me for emphasis.)

Moveon.org Civic Action is a 501(c)(4), as an example of a left-leaning non-profit.

[blm]

15. How did not yet having their tax exempt status stop them

from participating in 2012 election?

[YarnAddict]

17. Status of donations

was in limbo. They couldn't tell potential donors whether their donations would be exempt. Since part of their "social welfare" could include voter/issue education, their efforts were hampered.

[blm]

18. LOL - their donors being Koch brothers. Other groups went thru the exact same process

but the RW groups WERE treated exceptionally by Issa and his demand that the IG report ONLY on the RW groups being scrutinized, which drove the story and the perception that utter morons have that only RW groups were undergoing scrutiny and being targeted.

Issa should be in jail for manufacturing this appearance of scandal in order to frame the WH for actions it never took.

[YarnAddict]

19. Just asking:

If there was nothing to hide, why did Lois Lerner _plant_ a question regarding targeting of TP groups, in order to head off a scandal??

[blm]

22. Or - she planted the question because Issa and Rove wanted it asked.

IMO, it's Rove and Issa who she has been protecting all this time.