Posted on 05/16/2013 7:44:55 PM PDT by Smokeyblue
ObamaCare critics report IRS harassment after being reported to Flag@WhiteHouse.gov
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Stockman Tuesday asked two House chairmen to investigate allegations individuals reported to a White House email address for criticizing Obama’s health care reforms were targeted with Internal Revenue Service audits.
During the debate over adopting ObamaCare the White House encouraged liberal activists to report Obama’s critics to a “Flag@WhiteHouse.gov” email address. At least one of those reported tells RedState.com editor Erick Erickson he was then targeted with audits. “Remember that website Obama set up to report neighbors who opposed Obamacare? A friend reported himself and got audited shortly thereafter,” Erickson tweeted May 13.
“We need to know if there were any others. This certainly fits the rapidly-expanding pattern of people who criticize Obama suddenly finding themselves targeted by the IRS,” said Stockman. “Obama’s IRS scandal is spreading like a cancer.”
“Government reforms adopted after Watergate prohibit the White House from coordinating with the IRS to target citizens. We know White House critics were targeted by the IRS. We know the White House maintained an active enemies list through Flag@WhiteHouse.gov. Investigators must find out how targets were picked and what, if any, White House personnel knew about it,” said Stockman.
Stockman has asked the House Ways and Means, and Government Reform and Oversight, Committees to seek answers to three questions:
1) Were any individuals or groups reported to Flag@WhiteHouse.gov later subjected to IRS audits?
2) If so, were the audits politically motivated?
3) If the audits were politically motivated, did the White House violate federal laws prohibiting such coordination?
“Obama’s Nixonian demand that his followers provide him with an enemies list is even more disturbing in light of the IRS’ admitted wrongdoing,” said Stockman
The IRS admits targeting conservative groups with harassment, a practice which has since been revealed to be far more widespread than previously admitted. Officials in the Washington, D.C. and California offices also admit targeting conservative groups.
Jewish organizations also report IRS harassment after criticizing the President, and a St. Louis reporter has also come forward to allege he was also targeted by the IRS after asking Obama tough questions.
The text of the letter follows:
May 14, 2013
The Honorable Darrell Issa Chairman, House Government Oversight and Reform Committee 2157 Rayburn HOB Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Dave Camp Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee 1102 Longworth HOB Washington, D.C. 20515
Esteemed Chairmen:
As you recall, during the congressional deliberations over ObamaCare the White House urged liberal activists to report the President’s critics to Flag@WhitHouse.gov.
The recent admission, and new revelations, the Internal Revenue Service engaged in politically-motivated harassment of conservative groups shines a disturbing new light on this and other White House efforts to target private citizens who question Barack Obama’s policies.
Since the these revelations of IRS wrongdoing several individuals and groups have claimed they were audited by the IRS after being reported to the White House’s “Flag” email address.
As the scope of the IRS scandal expands on what seems to be an hourly basis, both the Ways & Means and Government Oversight & Reform Committees should seek answers to three important questions.
1) Were any individuals or groups reported to Flag@WhiteHouse.gov later subjected to IRS audits?
2) If so, were the audits politically motivated?
3) If the audits were politically motivated, did the White House violate federal laws prohibiting such coordination?
Citizens deserve to know just how far the IRS went in trying to silence critics of the President, and just who directed the abuses.
I trust your Committee will seek thorough answers to these questions and expose any and all wrongdoing and abuses of power, no matter how high they reach.
Warmest wishes,
STEVE STOCKMAN Member of Congress
“We need to know if there were any others. This certainly fits the rapidly-expanding pattern of people who criticize Obama suddenly finding themselves targeted by the IRS,” said Stockman. “Obama’s IRS scandal is spreading like a cancer.”
2) If so, were the audits politically motivated?
****************************
Of course they weren’t politically motivated. The end.
Do you suppose any of us here were reported to flag@whitehouse.gov?
This is unbelievable ! Well not really anything these people do is unbelievable.
This can’t be legal can it?
I know. We should be immune but I’m always still incredulous when I see it all spelled out.
Unfricken’believable.
Resignations won’t do. This is criminal.
I guess ‘Flag@Whitehouse.Gov’ was first and Attack Watch was second. I can’t remember.
Oh yeah, I reported myself. Gave them my address and everything. No audit- but my taxes are relatively uncomplicated.
As his power grows, our freedom withers.
The entire flag.gov crap is part of a culture of intimidation, he must be impeached.
I wonder with all their data mining capabilities if people who were unknowingly reported by loyal snitches got special treatment.
How would they ever know?
It’s very simple.
” ‘We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends ...”
A few more victims of audits who were turned into this WH site and they’re not going to be able to say it was a few too vigorous low level employees at the IRS.
Turning in people you disagree with to the government - how Gestapo-ish.
How Obama. These people have no boundaries.
Bfl
Actually, we ought to start referring to the DEM party as the Gestapo Party....esp. to LOFO voters...
I was hit by the IRS this year. All my papers were in order. But I told others before this broke, I felt a chill when I got that letter saying I owed thousands more. And I certainly mocked the flag e-mail address, even flooded it with jokes.
There is a pattern of the regime that we are going to find repeats itself in MANY of the mini stories of the last 5 years.
For example, recall the nationalization of GM and Chrysler. Remember the calls of cronyism when seeing the list of dealer closures versus the list of list of dealers remaining? And, in many a case, a remaining dealer was able to “take over” territory owned by a now-defunct competitor dealer.
The whole purpose of those websites (Attack Watch) is to get information about people who disagree (political enemies - in ObamaWorld).
What other purpose would they have for telling people to report their neighbors aside from information.
Were they going to send out nice, friendly fliers talking about the benefits of ObamaScare or whatever?
No. If that were the case, they wouldn’t use terms like “attack watch”, and “stop the smears.”
It’s self-evident. They weren’t going to just let the information pass them by when the whole point was to gather the information in the first place.
That’s a very astute observation.
Billiant!!!! There is the blood trail.
So let it be said.... So let it be done.
The IRS should refund all tax money collected since 2008.
And we had PhonyCon Rove Republican Liberals attacking Stockman as a “nut job”?
Flag was first. When legal issues were raised they moved it out of WH site and changed the name
This may be the tie into IRS scandal and WH
There are several threads in the archive. Have asked that at least one be reported in a very visable location.
Fear of IRS retaliation at that time!
With Val’s quote of pay back time it all fits together. Culture of tyranny!
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