Levin’s IRS fog machine

Posted by hpayne on July 2, 2013

House Ways and Means Ranking Democrat Sander Levin (right) and Chairman Dave Camp (left) preside over a hearing into the IRS scandal.

Two Michigan representatives are at center stage in the IRSgate investigation, but only one apparently wants justice done. House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Democrat Sander Levin – co-top cop of the IRS hearings with Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Michigan – last week dropped a bombshell that “progressive” (read: liberal) groups has also been targeted by the IRS.

“Claims there was a White House enemies list or evidence of a culture of corruption — there’s zero evidence that there was any political involvement, and indeed the IG said that in his report,” said Levin, waving his letter to IRS Inspector General Russell George asking why he had not revealed that the target list was bipartisan. “This new information shows that the foundation of those investigations is flawed in a fundamental way.” Nothing to see here, folks. Please move on.

Trouble is, Levin’s revelation was untrue.

“The evidence only shows conservatives being systematically targeted by the IRS, not just flagged, but actually targeted. The IG has confirmed that, and the investigation by the Ways and Means and Oversight and Government Reform Committees also confirms that fact,” shot back Camp in his own press release just 24 hours later, publicizing George’s letter that contradicted Levin’s wild claim.

“We found no indication in any of these other materials that ‘Progressives’ was a term used to refer cases for scrutiny for political campaign intervention,” wrote George, reaffirming that only tea party groups were specifically targeted by the IRS. “[O]ur audit found that 100 percent of the tax-exempt applications with Tea Party, Patriots, or 9/12 in their names were processed as potential political cases.”

Why the confusion? Levin’s office had deliberately twisted an IRS spread sheet asking agents to flag numerous organizations, including left-wing groups. But only conservative groups were comprehensively targeted and harassed by the IRS.

“Americans deserve better than to fear whether the IRS will unfairly target them,” added Camp in his rebuke of his Michigan colleague. Camp has been relentless in getting to the bottom of an egregious misuse of a government agency for partisan ends.

It is a single-mindedness that Levin once claimed to share. But his actions speak louder than words.

Along with Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, Levin appears more interested in performing public relations work for the Obama administration than in getting to the facts.

Levin’s diversion came just two weeks after Cummings, who sits on the House Oversight Committee’s parallel investigation of the IRS scandal, cranked up his own fog machine to help the bad guys get away.

Over the objections of Committee Chair Darrell Issa, R-California, Cummings released a full, 205-page transcript of a committee interview with Cincinnati IRS agent John Shafer that, Cummings said, proved – another bombshell! – the committee investigation was a “witch hunt” because no Washington link to tea party targeting could be found. Case closed. Please move on.

Except that Cummings revelation was also a fabrication.

The House committee investigation – and gumshoe work by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal – have uncovered substantial evidence that the targeting of conservative groups was orchestrated from Washington , including powerful testimony from Cincinnati field agents Gary Muthert and Elizabeth Hofacre.

Levin and Cummings show a disturbing pattern of Democrat investigators using their positions to complicate fact-finding. Yet their desperation only creates more suspicion. What are they afraid of?

Chairman Camp, meanwhile, continues to pick at the IRS’s culture of corruption. “(Your report) fails to deliver the accountability the American people deserve,” he told IRS principal deputy commissioner Daniel Werfel last week after Werfel failed the basic task of indentifying the D.C. source of the anti-tea party scheme.

Too bad Camp isn’t getting more help from his Michigan co-chair.

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