I.R.S. Request for More Terrorism Investigators Is Denied

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/31/business/31irs.html

I.R.S. Request for More Terrorism Investigators Is Denied
By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON

Published: March 31, 2004


ASHINGTON, March 30 - The Bush administration has scuttled a plan to increase by 50 percent the number of criminal financial investigators working to disrupt the finances of Al Qaeda, Hamas and other terrorist organizations to save $12 million, a Congressional hearing was told on Tuesday.

The Internal Revenue Service had asked for 80 more criminal investigators beginning in October to join the 160 it has already assigned to penetrate the shadowy networks that terrorist groups use to finance plots like the Sept. 11 attacks and the recent train bombings in Madrid. But the Bush administration did not include them in the president's proposed budget for the 2005 fiscal year.

The disclosure, to a House Ways and Means subcommittee, came near the end of a routine hearing into the I.R.S. budget after most of the audience, including reporters, had left the hearing room.

It comes as the White House is fighting to maintain its image as a vigorous and uncompromising foe of global terrorism in the face of questions about its commitment and competence raised by the administration's former terrorism czar, Richard A. Clarke, and its first Treasury secretary, Paul H. O'Neill.

Representative Earl Pomeroy, a North Dakota Democrat whose question to a witness about one line on the last page of a routine report to Congress prompted the disclosure, said he was dumbfounded at the budget decision.<snip>

[truthisfreedom]

1. more rope! bushco simply won't spend any money on anything other than

energy buddies and military-industrial complex buddies. that is the ONLY place our treasury coffers are being emptied. to spend mony on ANYTHING ELSE would simply be wasteful with respect to their TOTALLY CORRUPT PLAN TO DRAIN OUR COUNTRY DRY and then completely take it over with their well-established mafia once it's in a shambles.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Unbelievable.

What's this? Maybe $10MM to fight terror effectively? In their pocketbook? Wonder why they don't want more financial investigators?

Perhaps more embarrasing ties between the Saudi's and the RNC?

[CaptainClark23]

4. duping my own post

as the other will be locked (I didn't scroll fast enough!), but here's what I answered to the same question:

it makes perfect sense for them not to finance. 9.11 has a money trail. they control FBI and CIA investigations...apparently they are not as secure in their ability to control IRS.

they are trying to cover too many gaps as it is, they cannot afford the risk of some bright analyst who they don't own tracking down the paymasters.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. They still don't, or won't, get it -- Clarke is so right --

[maddezmom]

5. "they don't want to get it"

and at the same time, bush* is spewing his crap about protecting the American people from terraysts.

[salin]

8. Interestingly... bush used to say (early after 9-11) that this was

an area through which they would pursue al qaeda. Until, I believe, they realized that the net would also catch US tax evaders (because some of the work would involve getting cooperation of banks in tax havens).

Once again - when given two choices:

a) go after al qaeda in the name of US National Security

or

b) protect wealthy buddies who may be engaged in wrong doing

the latter always wins out. Its like they enjoy subtley saying: "Screw National Security... "

[underpants]

10. Exactly when you start tracing the money flying around overseas..

some other kinds of terrorists will pop up too.

They (the repubs) rejected this back in '96 too.

[salin]

11. Too relevant per the whole commission/clark (and condi) story

to let drop. Establishes continuing pattern.

[Old and In the Way]

14. one more time to the top.....this is a most interesting piece of the

puzzle.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. kick

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. I, too, am "dumbfounded by the disclosure".

[papau]

9. kick!

:-)

[Old and In the Way]

12. I remember Bush saying, right after 9/11, that we would go after

financial backers of Al Qaeda. I believe the term used was "draining the swamp". Perhaps the draining might have exposed a few unexplainable rocks, too?

[DeepModem Mom]

13. kick

[DoNotRefill]

15. I agree with this.

The INTERNAL Revenue Service shouldn't be involved in the War on Terra... It's not their area of responsibility.