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It doesn't matter if it was one of Istook's staff instead of Istook, personally. This is a disgrace, and Istook should be the one held accountable - especially since Bush is currently promising/pushing major tax reform.

This is as treasonous to the overall cause as are some of the stunts pulled by Arlen, just on a different issue. Remember Istook come next primary season.

G.O.P. Says Motive for Tax Clause in Budget Bill Was Misread By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM Published: November 22, 2004 ASHINGTON, Nov. 21 - Democratic leaders and senators from both parties expressed outrage on Sunday about an obscure provision in the huge end-of-session spending bill that would allow the chairmen of the Appropriations Committees and their staff assistants to examine Americans' income tax returns. Advertisement Republican leaders said that their motives had been misread and that there was never any intention to invade the privacy of taxpayers. They promised that the provision would be deleted from the bill in a special session on Wednesday before the spending measure, which cleared Congress on Saturday night, was sent to President Bush for his signature. Representative Ernest Istook, Republican of Oklahoma, who was responsible for the insertion of the tax provision in the 3,000-page, $388 billion legislation that provides financing for most of the government, issued a statement on Sunday saying that the language had actually been drafted by the Internal Revenue Service and that "nobody's privacy was ever jeopardized." Mr. Istook is chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that has authority over the I.R.S. budget. John D. Scofield, the spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, said that the purpose of the provision was to allow investigators for the top lawmakers responsible for financing the I.R.S. to have access to that agency's offices around the country and tax records so they could examine how the money was being spent. There was never any desire to look at anyone's tax returns, he said. Mr. Scofield said the only purpose of the provision was to allow investigators to have access to revenue service offices. He said the authority would be similar to that allowed senior members and staff assistants of the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee, the panels with primary jurisdiction over the activities of the revenue service. Disclosure of information from income tax returns is against the law and subject to severe penalties. Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, said Sunday that what she called "this taxpayer persecution provision" amounted to an abuse of power by the Republican majority and "should be of grave concern to all Americans that their privacy could be invaded." Questioned about the tax provision on the CBS News program "Face the Nation," Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Republican leader, said, "Nobody's going to defend this." Other senators made similar statements on various television programs. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said on the NBC program "Meet the Press" that the insertion of the provision without senators' fully understanding it showed how "the system is broken." On "Late Edition" on CNN, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, said: "Something happened clearly in the dark of night. The Senate was totally amazed." When senators discovered the language on Saturday, they unanimously adopted a resolution saying the provision "shall have no effect." Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he had been unaware of the provision and called it "a serious situation." The speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert, promised that he would convene a pro forma session of the House, with most of the members gone, on Wednesday to adopt the Senate resolution negating the provision. Mr. Scofield, the spokesman for the House committee, called the entire matter "a tempest in a teapot" and said Mr. Istook and his colleagues had no objection to the removal of the authority. "We don't really care," Mr. Scofield said Sunday in an interview. "It was an honest attempt to do oversight. If they want to take it out, fine." Mr. Scofield said he found it strange that senators felt they were taken by surprise. He noted that the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Bill Young, Republican of Florida, had discussed it briefly on the House floor, and that the language had been available since Thursday for Senate staff members to read.

It doesn't matter if it was one of Istook's staff instead of Istook, personally. This is a disgrace, and Istook should be the one held accountable - especially since Bush is currently promising/pushing major tax reform.

I don't know a whole lot about Istook, but I thought he was one of the good guys.

Has he had other such lapses?

G.O.P. Says Motive for Tax Clause in Budget Bill Was Misread

By DAVID E. ROSENBAUM

Published: November 22, 2004

ASHINGTON, Nov. 21 - Democratic leaders and senators from both parties expressed outrage on Sunday about an obscure provision in the huge end-of-session spending bill that would allow the chairmen of the Appropriations Committees and their staff assistants to examine Americans' income tax returns.

Republican leaders said that their motives had been misread and that there was never any intention to invade the privacy of taxpayers. They promised that the provision would be deleted from the bill in a special session on Wednesday before the spending measure, which cleared Congress on Saturday night, was sent to President Bush for his signature.

Representative Ernest Istook, Republican of Oklahoma, who was responsible for the insertion of the tax provision in the 3,000-page, $388 billion legislation that provides financing for most of the government, issued a statement on Sunday saying that the language had actually been drafted by the Internal Revenue Service and that "nobody's privacy was ever jeopardized." Mr. Istook is chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that has authority over the I.R.S. budget.

John D. Scofield, the spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, said that the purpose of the provision was to allow investigators for the top lawmakers responsible for financing the I.R.S. to have access to that agency's offices around the country and tax records so they could examine how the money was being spent. There was never any desire to look at anyone's tax returns, he said.

Mr. Scofield said the only purpose of the provision was to allow investigators to have access to revenue service offices. He said the authority would be similar to that allowed senior members and staff assistants of the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee, the panels with primary jurisdiction over the activities of the revenue service.

Disclosure of information from income tax returns is against the law and subject to severe penalties.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, said Sunday that what she called "this taxpayer persecution provision" amounted to an abuse of power by the Republican majority and "should be of grave concern to all Americans that their privacy could be invaded."

Questioned about the tax provision on the CBS News program "Face the Nation," Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Republican leader, said, "Nobody's going to defend this."

Other senators made similar statements on various television programs. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said on the NBC program "Meet the Press" that the insertion of the provision without senators' fully understanding it showed how "the system is broken."

On "Late Edition" on CNN, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, said: "Something happened clearly in the dark of night. The Senate was totally amazed."

When senators discovered the language on Saturday, they unanimously adopted a resolution saying the provision "shall have no effect." Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he had been unaware of the provision and called it "a serious situation."

The speaker of the House, J. Dennis Hastert, promised that he would convene a pro forma session of the House, with most of the members gone, on Wednesday to adopt the Senate resolution negating the provision.

Mr. Scofield, the spokesman for the House committee, called the entire matter "a tempest in a teapot" and said Mr. Istook and his colleagues had no objection to the removal of the authority.

"We don't really care," Mr. Scofield said Sunday in an interview. "It was an honest attempt to do oversight. If they want to take it out, fine."

Mr. Scofield said he found it strange that senators felt they were taken by surprise. He noted that the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Bill Young, Republican of Florida, had discussed it briefly on the House floor, and that the language had been available since Thursday for Senate staff members to read.

Remember Istook come next primary season.

And remember the Pubbie leadership in general, if they permit Istook to retain any position more powerful that Sub-Chairman of Paper Clips and Rubber Bands after pulling this stunt.