Care to read the mind of ranking Republican Sen. John McCain as he listens to ranking Democrat Sen. Carl Levin? Senator Levin reported no bias toward conservative groups by the IRS. (Salon.com photo)
“The majority report (Democrat) asserts that there was no political bias in the way the IRS selected groups for additional scrutiny and that conservative groups and liberal (progressive) groups were treated equally,” was the finding of the Senate subcommittee led by Michigan’s outgoing Sen. Carl Levin. As usual, the report was released late Friday to avoid major news coverage.
“The minority report (Republican) sharply disagrees with the conclusion reached by the majority staff report,” wrote ranking senior member Sen. John McCain (R–AZ) representing the Republican side. Of the groups singled out for extra scrutiny, he said 83 per cent, or 248 of the 298 groups, were “right-leaning.”
Further, he referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means published study detailing questions asked of conservative groups and progressive groups. The IRS asked conservative groups 1,552 questions, an average of 14.9 per group, while just seven progressive groups were asked a mere 33 questions or 4.7 per group.
For those unfamiliar with details of the IRS scandal, it was Senator Levin, who along with Senator’s Charles Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), Sen.Richard Durbin (D-IL) and others, wrote intimidating letters to the IRS following the Supreme Court’s decision on Citizens United. See my post, Understanding the IRS scandal, Part 1, March 10, 2014
IBD Michael Ramirez editorial cartoon
In the conclusion of the 288-page report, this laughable sentence appears, “(The subcommittee) continued its tradition of in-depth fact finding and frequent consultation that are the hallmark of the Senate’s work and lead to a deepened understanding of the issues.” This is a good spot to tell you that the subcommittee didn’t interview one victim group, conservative or progressive. It reminds me of the Benghazi ARB that didn’t interview Hillary Clinton. And Congress wonders why they rank so low as a group. According to Real Clear Politics, 77.4 per cent currently disapprove of Congress, while just 14 per cent approve.
To see an interesting interview by the WSJ’s Dan Henninger with Cleta Mitchell, one of the attorneys representing conservative groups, click here.
You can find the full report here.
Pay no attention to the Senate report. This issue is not dead by any means. “Lost” Lois Lerner e-mails will surface. Mark my word.
