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News/Politics 5-24-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

I’ll put a bunch up to start, then you tell us what interests you.

First up, more IRS scandal news.

When Bopp learned years later that Lerner had been promoted to an IRS  position, he became concerned. “She was in effect being promoted for what she had done at the Federal  Election Commission and now was going to be expected … to replicate that at  the IRS and now we know that’s exactly what happened,” he said. From FoxNews

Her reputation for bias is what got her the IRS gig.

Lois Lerner Directly Involved in IRS Targeting, Letters Show, from NationalReview

She’s finally getting some consequences and repercussions for her actions. But with pay of course. 🙄

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member of the tax writing Finance Committee, said in a statement Thursday that Lerner was placed on administrative leave after she refused a request from Danny Werfel, the newly installed acting IRS commissioner, to resign. From Politico

UPDATE!

Here’s a video showing Schumer and Franken dodging questions on their involvement in requesting the behavior the IRS is in trouble for.

With a Hat Tip to DrivesGuy

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Next up, Benghazi…

Looks like the Lerner situation, rewarding bad behavior, and silence.

President Obama on Thursday nominated Victoria Nuland, a State Department official involved in the editing of the administration’s talking points on Benghazi, to be the next assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. From Politico

Meanwhile, a subpoena for another witness.

Pickering, Issa reach agreement on testimony, from HotAir

That one should be fun. He’s the former ambassador who helped the Obama admin investigate themselves.

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And then the AP/Fox record scandal. Holder insisted repeatedly that he knew nothing and had recused himself. That appears to be false.

Eric Holder Signed Off On Search Warrant For James Rosen Emails: NBC News, from TheHuffingtonPost

But don’t worry, Obama is having Holder investigate himself and his dept. in order to get to the bottom of things. 🙄

President Obama is a little uneasy with the way journalists have been dragged into the Justice Department’s aggressive pursuit of national security leak investigations. In fact, he has ordered Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a 45-day review of the department’s guidelines on the issue. From ABCNews

Even HuffPo thinks he should be fired. But someone should hose him down first and extinguish his pants.

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Here’s more funny business from Obama’s HHS and Sec. Sebelius.

Current and former administration officials have taken on leadership and  fundraising roles for Enroll America, a nonprofit aiming to make sure people  sign up for new coverage options. As the ties grow deeper, the organization has  come to feel like “just an arm of the administration,” said one official who  works closely with insurers. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has already come  under fire from congressional Republicans because she has raised money for the  organization. From TheHill

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Here’s an update on the Trayvon Martin/ George Zimmerman case.

Martin’s cell phone contains photos of a gun, drugs, and texts about delinquent behavior. From WFTV.com

His school records, as well as school police video, hold more potential evidence. None of it good. And the defense wants to include discussion on his marijuana use. They claim he was likely under the influence at the time of his death. Needless to say prosecutors would like all these matters suppressed. It won’t help them and they know it.

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The Boy Scouts have caved. Not good, but not surprising given the pressure brought down on them by the media. It was only a matter of time.

The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts but not gay Scout leaders – a fiercely contested compromise that some warned could fracture the organization and lead to mass defections of members and donors. Of the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA’s National Council who cast ballots, 61 percent supported the proposal drafted by the governing Executive Committee. The policy change takes effect Jan. 1. From TheAP

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News/Politics 5-23-13

What’s interesting in the news today?

Well the IRS scandal continues to raise more questions. And answers don’t seem to be coming anytime soon. Everyone seems to have “forgotten”, “didn’t or don’t know”, or took the 5th. It seems the only way we’ll get them is a special prosecutor. Maybe an offer of immunity will jar some memories and loosen lips.

Now as for Lois Lerner and her claiming the 5th…..

Lois Lerner might win the legal battle but she’s prolonging the political war. And her bravado has prompted House Oversight and Government Reform Committee  Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to say she has waived her constitutional right  to not comment. From Politico

Some legal experts disagree with Issa. Other’s don’t.

Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service’s embattled director of Exempt  Organizations, could be held in contempt of court and jailed for refusing to  testify before Congress, civil-rights lawyer Alan Dershowitz says. “She’s  in trouble. She can be held in contempt,” Dershowitz told “the Steve Malzberg  Show” on Newsmax TV. From NewsMax

That might help loosen her lips.

The IRS, like many in the Obama admin, are not being forthcoming with answers.

IRS Misses Filing Deadline: Fails to Comply With Congressional Demand for All Communications With WH About Targeting Conservatives, from CNSNews

Oversight on IRS targeting came from Washington all along, from NationalReview

So who’s next to go under the bus?

The Washington Post highlights her role in the IRS scandal, in which the top lawyer in the West Wing is purported to have played goalie with information in order to ensure plausible deniability:

Looks like we now know who pulled the strings in Cincinnati.

From Fox19

They also provide a nice run down of the players, and what they’re up to today.

“What this means for you… consider this chain of command since the story broke. Former Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller… retires-. Joseph Grant, Commissioner of Tax Exempt and Government Entities… retires. Lois Lerner, Head of Exempt Organization…says she will invoke her 5th amendment right to not incriminate herself when called before Congress on Wednesday. Holly Paz, Director of Exempt Organizations, subpoenaed to Washington to be interviewed by members of Congress. All of this IRS leadership, in Washington D.C.

Then one level down is Cindy Thomas, the highest ranking employee in Cincinnati in this Tax Exempt and Government Entities Department that no one in Congress is talking to… yet. ”

And yet the WH’s top lawyer says she never informed the President. 

We’re also expected to believe the former head of the IRS didn’t mention it on any of his 118 visits to the WH. From WeaselZippers

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In other news…..

According to Gallup, 72% of Americans think the country’s moral values are getting worse. I guess they’re just stating the obvious. From CNSNews

” A large majority of Americans hold a bleak  outlook on the state of morality in the United States, as 72% said the  nation’s moral values are “getting worse,” and only 20% said that moral  values are “getting better,” according to a recent Gallup survey.

The poll specifically showed that Americans who attend church weekly,  are married, or are Republican, were the most negative about the  country’s moral direction. But even Democrats, people who attend church  infrequently, and the unmarried had high negative outlooks about the  nation’s moral values.”

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I suppose that story is the perfect lead in for this one…

From NBCNews

“After years of emotional debate, the Boy Scouts of America are considering a proposal at their annual meeting to allow gay youths to participate openly in the popular organization for the first time.

The exclusion of gay Scouts has been the subject of much wrangling and soul searching in the century-old organization — from local troops and councils to online petitions to national board meetings. The dispute was even heard by the Supreme Court, which said 13 years ago that as a private membership organization the BSA was free to decide who it would admit.

Here is a rundown of what is at stake in the vote, which is scheduled to take place Thursday among the 1,400 delegates of the National Council gathered in Grapevine, Texas.”

This vote would allow gay scouts to participate, but would still ban gay scout leaders.

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Here’s some non-shocking news on Ivy League commencement speakers. From CampusReform

“The list of keynote commencement speakers at Ivy League institutions for 2013 does not include a single conservative, a recent study authored by the conservative Young America’s Foundation (YAF) found.

Instead seven of the elite schools opted to invite ideological liberal speakers such as media billionaire Oprah Winfrey, Vice President Joe Biden (D), Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D), Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), among others.

Only Brown University, which chooses a commencement keynote from among its students, did not have a 2013 speaker who is generally associated with the left.”

Not at all surprising. The left is always intolerant of those who disagree with their ideology.

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