After Waiting A Year For Crucial Emails, IRS Gives Congress “The Dog Ate My Homework” Excuse

They Actually Expect Us To Believe This!?

• Today, Congress will begin its investigation into how the IRS lost 2 years’ worth of Lois Lerner’s emails.

• This excuse is ridiculous to the point of being offensive. And it’s not surprising, since President Obama already dismissed the scandal as “phony” and said “not even a smidgen of corruption” exists in the IRS.

• A new poll shows the American people are already questioning the Obama Administration’s competence. But combined with the VA scandal, ObamaCare, and his controversial prisoner swap that may put American lives at risk, this is raising even more troubling questions for both his presidency and the midterm elections.

• The government’s excuse is the bureaucratic equivalent of “the dog ate my homework.” It’s time for the Obama Administration to stop the obstruction and get to the bottom of the IRS scandal.

The IRS Claims It Lost 2 Years’ Worth Of Lois Lerner’s Emails. “On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service informed Congressional investigators that it could not recover two years of emails from Lois Lerner, the former head of the agency’s tax-exempt status department. Lerner has been at the center of the investigation into how and why the IRS applied additional scrutiny to the tax-exempt applications of Tea Party-affiliated organizations.” (Philip Bump, “Here’s How The IRS Lost Emails From Key Witness Lois Lerner,” The Washington Post, 6/16/14)

Lerner “Has Been At The Center” Of The IRS Scandal. “Lerner has been at the center of the investigation into how and why the IRS applied additional scrutiny to the tax-exempt applications of Tea Party-affiliated organizations.” (Philip Bump, “Here’s How The IRS Lost Emails From Key Witness Lois Lerner,” The Washington Post, 6/16/14)

Lawmakers Claim The IRS Has Known It Lost Lerner’s Emails, Yet Kept It Quiet Until Recently. “Republican lawmakers charged Tuesday that the IRS knew for months they had ‘lost’ a massive trove of emails from embattled ex-IRS official Lois Lerner, but kept it “secret” until this past Friday.” (“Lawmakers: IRS Knew For Months Of ‘Lost’ Lerner Emails, More Documents Missing,” Fox News, 6/17/14)

NBC/WSJ Poll: Just Half Of Americans Surveyed Believe President Obama’s Administration Is “Somewhat” Or “Very Competent.” “President Barack Obama is facing growing doubts about his competence and ability to accomplish anything in his second term — even among groups that have been his strongest supporters, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found. … [J]ust half of those surveyed said that Mr. Obama’s administration is somewhat or very competent, down from 57% in June 2013, and 54% said that he could not lead the country and “get the job done” for the rest of his term as president.” (Janet Hook, “Obama’s Competence Questioned In WSJ/NBC Poll,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/18/14)

President Obama Dismissed It As A “Phony” Scandal. “President Obama on Wednesday dismissed a series of controversies dogging his administration as “phony” in remarks that represented a clear shift in White House tactics. ‘With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals, Washington has taken its eye off the ball,’ Obama said in an economic address at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill.” (Justin Sink, “Obama Dismisses Scandals As ‘Phony’,” The Hill, 7/25/13)

President Obama: “Not Even A Smidgen Of Corruption” At IRS. “‘There were some bone-headed decisions,’ Obama conceded. But when asked whether corruption, or mass corruption, was at play, he responded: ‘Not even mass corruption — not even a smidgen of corruption.’” (“‘Not Even A Smidgen Of Corruption’: Obama Downplays IRS, Other Scandals,” Fox News, 2/3/14)

According To A Report From The Treasury’s Inspector General, “Ineffective Management” At The IRS Led To The Scandal. “Ineffective management at the Internal Revenue Service allowed agents to improperly target tea party groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax exempt status, an internal Treasury Department report said Tuesday. Lax managers allowed the practice to go on for more than 18 months, said the report from the Treasury inspector general for tax administration.” (“Inspector General Says Ineffective Management At IRS Allowed Agents To Target Tea Party Groups,” Associated Press, 5/14/13)

The Associated Press Reported That Senior IRS Officials Knew Of The Targeting In 2011. “Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011, according to a draft of an inspector general’s report obtained by The Associated Press that seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner.” (“IRS Targeted Tea Party Groups Earlier Than 2012,” Associated Press, 5/13/13)

The IRS Will Have A “Dominant Role” In ObamaCare, Even Determining Who Will Get Included In Mandate. “Get ready for the Internal Revenue Service to play a dominant role in health care. When Obamacare takes full effect next year, the agency will enforce most of the laws involved in the reform—even deciding who gets included in the health-care mandate.” (Mark Koba, “When It Comes to Health-Care Reform, the IRS Rules,” CNBC, 5/6/13)