Rep. Elijah Cummings Wants the IRS Scandal to Go Away: It's "Solved", Even Though We Don't Know Who Instigated It

The IRS scandal must be very, very bad for the Obama administration. For those of you who stepped away for the last several weeks, it was handily summarized for us by Jim Hoft:

The IRS targeted hundreds of conservative groups since 2010. 500 conservative and Christian groups were illegally targeted by the Obama IRS starting in 2010. For twenty-seven months the Obama IRS refused to approve any Tea Party applications for tax-exempt status. At the same time the Obama IRS approved dozens of progressive applications within weeks.

The ranking member of the House Oversight Committee -- Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) -- must know something that we don't. And he wants us to remain in the dark regarding what really happened between the White House and he IRS. Mind you, this is the same administration that targeted not only conservative, Christian and Jewish groups using the IRS, but also attacked the Associated Press and Fox News through its highly politicized Justice Department.

“Based upon everything I’ve seen, the case is solved,” Cummings told CNN’s Candy Crowley. “If it were me, I would wrap this case up and move on, to be frank with you. The IG made some recommendations, those recommendations are being adopted by the IRS, we’ve got a new commissioner in, acting commissioner in, Danny Werfel is doing a great job, I think we’re in great shape.”


Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa slammed Cummings for his claims, calling them “extreme and reckless” and arguing they are “a signal that his true motivation is stopping needed Congressional oversight.” Issa added that “fortunately” Cummings cannot stop the ongoing the investigation.

The Oversight Committee, which, along with the House Ways and Means Committee, is investigating the IRS’s systematic targeting of tea-party groups, is currently interviewing several agency officials involved in the scandal. Though they have linked the initial orders to identify tea-party applications to officials in Washington, D.C., they have yet to identify the official who asked for those applications, or to determine whether the White House was involved in the targeting of conservative groups.

Elijah Cummings, who heretofore struck me as a thoughtful and deliberative man, should be ashamed of himself.

@darrellissa Knowing the WH was forewarned of #IRS abuse is reason to open a Select Committee for the subversion of Americans' Civil Rights.

— Sen. Frank Niceley (@SenFrankNiceley) June 9, 2013

Politicizing the instrumentalities of the federal government has reached a record and intolerable level under this administration. And Cummings appears more invested in advancing his party's interest than pursuing his constitutionally mandated role of oversight.


Related: BUSTED: The Complete IRS Scandal Timeline in Spreadsheet Format.