Fox News Poll: Overwhelming Majority Distrust the IRS and Majority Think White House Knew About IRS Targeting Conservative & Tea Party Non-Profit Organizations

Very bad polling numbers for Barack Obama White House and the IRS scandal.

According to a Fox News Poll, the American people have become very suspect of the IRS and are also suspect of the White House involvement in the IRS scandal that saw the Internal Revenue Service Department intentionally and purposely target conservative and Tea Party non-profit groups. The bottom has all but dropped out of anyone having confidence in the IRS. And honestly, why should anyone have any confidence in a government organization who has been given far too much power and now has vindictively and in a partisan manner gone after a group of people based on their political beliefs. When they were called before Congress to answer for their actions to “We the People,” they acted defiantly, smugly, claimed they had done nothing wrong and in some cases plead the 5th. Some resigned. Some like Lois Lerner were asked to resign, refused and were put on administrative leave with $172K pay.

Confidence in the IRS has dropped significantly.  The poll finds 42 percent of voters have “a great deal” (7 percent) or “some” (35 percent) confidence in the agency.  That’s down from 62 percent who had at least some confidence in the IRS in May 2003 (the last time the Fox News poll asked Americans to rate the IRS).

Seventy-eight percent of voters are concerned that certain groups have been singled out, including 50 percent who are “very” concerned and 28 percent “somewhat” concerned.

Poll results can be read HERE.

FOX News:

Voters are concerned about the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative political groups for unfair treatment, and over half think the White House either knew it was happening or — worse yet — was actually behind the operation.

That’s according to a Fox News poll released Tuesday.

The IRS recently admitted it targeted tea party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny when the groups sought tax-exempt status.

Most voters think the White House was involved in the IRS scandal in some way:  37 percent think the administration knew it was going on but didn’t initiate the policy, while another 29 percent believe the White House directed the IRS to go after those groups.

The American people have lost all confidence in the IRS. Which begs the question, how on earth can the IRS now implement and enforce Obamacare? The IRS has no credibility to effectively enforce Obamacare without doing so in a partisan manner that would single out certain individuals and groups. Whether they be Conservatives or Liberals, it matters none, the IRS is a tainted government entity who has done what we suspected for many years … become way to powerful, full of themselves, vindictive and the ability to cause such harm without any regard.

Lois Lerner Placed on Administrative Leave from the IRS … With Pay, $172K a Year

The National Review is reporting that Lois Lerner,  the Internal Revenue Service’s director of exempt organizations, has been placed on administrative leave. Lerner, who had earlier refused to resign, was place on administrative leave with pay. Earlier this week, Lois Lerner appeared before the House Oversight Committee on the IRS scandal of targeting conservative non-profit organizations and stated that she had done nothing wrong and then plead the 5th.  This scandal is not going away any time soon and is only going to gain momentum.

Lerner on Thursday afternoon sent an e-mail to employees in the exempt-organizations division she oversees stating, “Due to the events of recent days, I am on administrative leave starting today. An announcement will be made shortly informing you who will be acting while I am on administrative leave. I know all of you will continue to support EO’s mission during these difficult times.” She concluded, “I thank you for all your hard work and dedication,” adding, “The work you do is important.”

So let’s get this straight … Lerner refused to testify in front of Congress on IRS-gate, she refused to resign and so she was place on administrative leave with pay. Isn’t that like a summer vacation with pay?  Must be nice, $172,000 a year salary with bonuses for doing a good job. This is how we deal with Washington “Big Government” bureaucrat? What ever happened to a good old fashion … YOU’RE FIRED!!!

Much more from Legal Insurrection …

The development also comes on the heels of a report from FOX19, a local affiliate in the Cincinnati area, that examined the chain of command in that office.  The report found that of the ‘rogue’ agents said to be responsible for the targeting of conservative groups, each had different managers, and the only connecting chain of command transitions back to Washington, DC.  It also suggests that the IRS employees previously interviewed were questioned as part of an audit rather than an investigation, the latter of which asserts more scrutiny, and that the employees may need to be questioned again – this time under oath.

Daily Commentary – Thursday, May 23, 2013 – A Top IRS Official Will Invoke the 5th

• Lois Lerner will invoke the 5th when asked to testify in front of the House committee investigating the scandal

IRS Official Lois Lerner “I Have Not Done Anything Wrong. I Have Not Broken Any Laws. I Have Not Violated any IRS Rules or Regulations.”

What a joke. Top IRS official Lois Lerner says to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a prepared statement, “I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations.” Then like any innocent person who has done nothing wrong, pleads the 5th on the grounds of what she would say might incriminate her. You just can’t make this stuff up. Lois Lerner is the woman who was in charge of the division that targeted conservative and tea party groups withholding their freedom of speech and then invoking her 5th Amendment rights. UNREAL. It is obvious that there will need to be a “Special” prosecutor appointed to investigate this scandal. If IRS officials are just going to make a joke of the hearings, lie, obfuscate, and plead the 5th.

Hmm, if she has done nothing wrong, why did she apologize weeks ago for the IRA targeting conservative groups? Her apology and admission that the IRS targeted conservative non-profits started all of this and forced the MSM into following the story.

Charles Krauthammer on IRS Scandal: This is Why It Has Legs … “This Thing Will Go On and It Could Be Fatal”

IRS SCANDAL HAS LEGS … IT WILL NOT GO AWAY, COULD BE FATAL.

Syndicated columnists Charles Krauthammer commented on the IRS targeting scandal on Tuesday during ’Special Report’ after yet another day of hearings that has only fueled the fire for all individuals, Democrats and republicans alike. Krauthammer explained, this is why this scandal has legs. First, everybody is outraged as everybody knows what the ITS can do and everyone is afraid of it. Second, now you have some one who is going to pleads the 5th and that has the appearance that the IRS is hiding something. Last, Democrats are up in arms as well as Republicans.

“Yes, the Republicans are up in arms but the Democrats are too. This thing will go on and it could be fatal.”

NorCal Tea Party Patriots First Tea Party Organization to Sue the IRS

Return of the Jedi …

California-based Tea Party group, the NorCal Tea Party Patriots, become the first to sue the IRS accusing the IRS of violating its constitutional rights due to the “intensive and intrusive scrutiny” it received while seeking tax-exempt status. Let the pigeons loose. Hopefully, this will be just the beginning of the law suits against the IRS that have admitted to targeting conservative and Tea Party groups.  As reported at the Politico, the group alleges it applied for tax-exempt status in March 2010 but didn’t receive approval until Aug. 2 of last year. The lawsuit accuses the IRS of violating the First and Fifth amendments and seeks monetary damages.

A California-based Tea Party group sued the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Monday in what marked the first lawsuit to stem from an investigation finding the agency singled-out conservative organizations.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, the NorCal Tea Party Patriots accused the IRS of violating its constitutional rights due to the “intensive and intrusive scrutiny” it received while seeking tax-exempt status.

The lawsuit sought class action status on behalf of all conservative and libertarian groups – such as those associated with the Tea Party movement – that were targeted by the IRS for extra scrutiny from March 2010 through the middle of this month. Tea Party groups call for reduced federal spending and taxation.

Citizens for Self-Governance:

We are sure you were as disgusted as we were upon hearing the news of the top down abuse of power the IRS has aimed at Conservative groups. Today, we are on the precipice of something monumental to correct the balance of power. We are taking the fight directly to the IRS.

Like many of you, we know folks who have been subjected to harassment and abuse by the IRS as they tried to obtain their non-profit status. I have first-hand knowledge because the first tea party group that I was involved with was unfairly targeted.

We are not sitting back and waiting for Congress to fix things. Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) decided to take matters into our own hands. We found the best lawyers in the country for aggressive litigation versus the federal government and, with our assistance, the NorCal Tea Party filed a class action suit against the IRS Monday in Ohio Federal Court.

Many other small grassroots organizations dedicated to liberty have been damaged or intimidated to the point of giving up, so CSG will provide the guidance and support needed to vindicate their rights in a direct legal battle with the IRS.

If you or someone you know has been harassed by the IRS and are interested in participating in the class action suit, let us know. You can send an inquiry by going to the website SueTheIRS.com. There’s no cost to you…because we are here to help you fight. (more)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) Calls for Independent Investigation For IRS Scandal, Says Obama is “Passive” and “Detached” … “Not Going to Fly with the Public”

US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) calls for an independent investigation into the IRS scandals. Paul said, “I think in order for government to gain its trust back, someone needs to be fired, someone needs to be held responsible, and, if it’s criminal, someone needs to go to jail.” Rand Paul called Obama on his claims that he was outraged. If that is the case, what is he going to do about this scandal that has rocked the publics trust in the government? The call for an independent investigation seems even more appropriate to get to the bottom of this scandal as we learned yesterday that Lois Lerner, the woman in charge of the IRS division that reviewed the non-profit organizations and at the heart of the scandal of the IRS targeting conservative and Tea Party group will plead the 5th today at House hearings.

How is the public ever going to have trust in the government if only low level and scape goats are held accountable? These people work for us, not the other way around and the public demands answers. Isn’t it ironic that Lois Lerner hides behind her 5th Amendment rights protected by the US Constitution as she refuses to answer questions that her IRS division stepped all over conservative and Tea Parties Constitutional rights.

“He says he’s outraged, and that’s fine, but we need to see him do something,” Senator Rand Paul said of President Obama’s lack of action on the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups. He described the president as “detached” and “passive in all of this.”

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) on IRS Scandal: “My Hunch is There us A Lot More Is Going to Come Out”

From the Democrat Senator who said, Obamacare is a train wreck” now thinks that the is much more to come out with the IRS scandal.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) stated on Bloomberg Government’s “Capitol Gains” TV show, “I have a hunch that a lot more is going to come out.”

Funny how when one announces their retirement that they suddenly speak the truth and tend to forget what they did in the past as a partisan politician. Baucus, who is now calling for Congressional hearings into the IRS scandals of targeting Tea Party and other Conservative groups was one of the very Senators who in the past was calling for them to be targeted. As the Gateway Pundit reminds us, Senator Baucus specifically called on the IRS to engage in the very conduct back in 2010 he is now distancing himself from. The rats are jumping off the ship. Just what does Max Baucus know?

From The Washington Examiner:

Senior Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, who recently slapped Obamacare as a “train wreck,” believes that the IRS scandal is just beginning and that “a lot more” damaging information will be revealed, likely at congressional hearings.

“I have a hunch that a lot more is going to come out, frankly,” Baucus, whose pending retirement seems to have freed him up to speak bluntly, told Bloomberg Government’s “Capitol Gains” TV show.

“It’s broader than the current focus. And I think it’s important that we have the hearings, and I think that will encourage other information to come out that has not yet come out. I suspect that we will learn more in the next several days, maybe the next couple three weeks which adds more context to all of this,” added Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Even SNL (Seth Meyers & Amy Poehler) Mock Barack Obama and IRS Scandal, REALLY!?!

#REALLY?!?

How bad has it got for President Barack Obama and the IRS scandal? Even SNL could not avoid the scandal and mocked President Obama and his comments following his learning of the IRS targeting the Tea Party and other Conservative groups. Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler did their “Really!?! with Seth and Amy skit. Although they also took shots at the Tea Party, it was nothing compared to their mocking of the IRS and Barack Obama. Some of the better lines, “Really!?!, the government only keeps you around to make the DMV look good”. Wow, when even Saturday Night Live feels the obligation to make fun of a liberal president, Houston, Barack, you got a problem.

But the money line was, “And, really Obama you found out about this scandal from TV? You found out from TV? Really? I don’t want to live in a world where you have the same sources as my aunt!”

Really!?! Mr. President, you found out about the IRS scandal from the news media, too bad the White House Counsel was told weeks ago. So you are telling us they never told you, REALL!?! Who is running the show and what do you have working for you?

In the week of April 22, the Office of the White House Counsel and its head, Kathryn Ruemmler, were told by Treasury Department attorneys that an inspector general’s report was nearing completion, the White House official said. In that conversation, Ms. Ruemmler learned that “a small number of line IRS employees had improperly scrutinized certain…organizations by using words like ‘tea party’ and ‘patriot,’ ” the official said.

Obama’s White House Counsel Was Told of IRS Audit Findings Weeks Ago … And Obama Never Knew, Really?

How could Barack Obama not have know, is this administration that incompetent … or that corrupt?

As reported at the WSJ, the Barack Obama White House counsel was told weeks ago by the Treasury Department that an IRS audit would show that Internal Revenue employees targeted conservative and Tea Party groups. This further provides more speculation and disbelief in the comment that President Obama made in that he only learned about the IRS audit when the media reported it. That is pretty much almost impossible to believe.  How could legal advisors to the president not provide crisis control and give Obama a heads up as to the audit? The investigation was not at the beginning, it was at its conclusion.

LIAR, LIAR – The Castaways

The White House’s chief lawyer learned weeks ago that an audit of the Internal Revenue Service likely would show that agency employees inappropriately targeted conservative groups, a senior White House official said Sunday.

That disclosure has prompted a debate over whether the president should have been notified at that time.

In the week of April 22, the Office of the White House Counsel and its head, Kathryn Ruemmler, were told by Treasury Department attorneys that an inspector general’s report was nearing completion, the White House official said. In that conversation, Ms. Ruemmler learned that “a small number of line IRS employees had improperly scrutinized certain…organizations by using words like ‘tea party’ and ‘patriot,’ ” the official said.

President Barack Obama said last week he learned about the controversy at the same time as the public, on May 10, when an IRS official revealed it to a conference of lawyers. The president’s statement drew criticism, focusing attention on his management style and whether he has kept himself sufficiently informed about the agencies under his authority.

As American Power opines, Hey, I guess there’s something to be said for incompetence. “We’re not dishonest, just bloody stupid.” But as American Power, I also believe that Obama was in the loop and this is just their latest way to hide from the truth. If it was the truth that Obama found out when the American public did, how frightening is that? However, no one really believe that. Honestly, there is no way a little birdy did not tell him long before this. Let alone, it is also hard to believe that so many government entities could have targeted conservative groups and their not have been executive coordination.