Three days of hearings have shown that IRS scrutiny of conservative organizations extended beyond a few rogue employees in Cincinnati, that the agency staged its announcement of the bad news to try to limit the damage, and that the White House knew more, and knew it earlier, than it first admitted.
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal S. Wolin said Wednesday his department had no hand in the IRS' targeting of conservative groups from 2010 to 2012.
Hey. Wait a minute. Those conservative groups targeted by the IRS may be needing a little cash in the aftermath, say 26 high-profile conservatives leaders who are calling for new legislation to reimburse the grass-roots folks. The coalition — which includes Richard Viguerie, James Dobson, Ralph Reed, Phyllis Schlafly, David Bossie and Gary Bauer — have contacted House Speaker John A. Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, advising the lawmakers that oversight hearings are all well and fine. But where's the money?
The woman at the center of the IRS scandal refused to testify to Congress on Wednesday, but House Republicans said Lois Lerner botched her attempt to invoke her right against self-incrimination and said they likely will force her to come back and explain why the agency targeted conservative political groups.
The White House revealed that it had even deeper knowledge of the IRS scandal than it first let on when press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that a top aide to President Obama talked with a Treasury Department official about how to break the news of the agency's improper targeting of conservative groups.
As the IRS scandal gains traction and a bipartisan chorus on Capitol Hill demands more answers, the man who headed the agency at the time it was targeting conservative groups will be on the hot seat twice this week.
The White House counsel’s office knew that a Treasury Department inspector general’s report about the IRS targeting conservative groups had been completed in April — weeks before the matter became public.
Add to the list of IRS targets: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The ousted head of the IRS on Friday said he was sorry for his agency's targeting conservative and tea party groups for special scrutiny, while a Republican leader said blame could reach as high as the White House.
