Posted on 08/15/2014 12:47:10 PM PDT by jazusamo
After listening to excuses from IRS officials about why they cannot produce "lost" emails requested through a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan has ordered the IRS to come up with a better explanation as to why the agency cannot produce valid documentation. He's also asking for details about IRS hard drive destruction policy and wants verification from an outside source that IRS hard drives in question were in fact destroyed as officials have claimed.
"In an extraordinary step, U. S. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan has launched an independent inquiry into the issue of the missing emails associated with former IRS official Lois Lerner," President of Judicial Watch John Fitton said in a statement. "Previously, Judge Sullivan ordered the IRS to produce sworn declarations about the IRS email issue by August 11. Today’s order confirms Judicial Watch’s read of this week’s IRS’ filings that treated as a joke Judge Sullivan’s order."
From Judge Sullivan's order:
In light of [26] the Declarations filed by the IRS, the IRS is hereby ORDERED to file a sworn Declaration, by an official with the authority to speak under oath for the Agency, by no later than August 22, 2014. In this Declaration, the IRS must: (1) provide information about its efforts, if any, to recover missing Lois Lerner emails from alternate sources (i.e., Blackberry, iPhone, iPad); (2) provide additional information explaining the IRS's policy of tracking inventory through use of bar code property tags, including whether component parts, such as hard drives, receive a bar code tag when serviced. If individual components do not receive a bar code tag, provide information on how the IRS tracks component parts, such as hard drives, when being serviced; (3)
provide information about the IRS's policy to degauss hard drives, including whether the IRS records whose hard drive is degaussed, either by tracking the employee's name or the particular machine with which the hard drive was associated; and (4) provide information about the outside vendor who can verify the IRS's destruction policies concerning hard drives.
The IRS has one week to come up with some answers.
H/T Ed Morrissey
Yes, I don’t think this how our founding fathers intended for the federal government to be - it is definitely tyranny.
I still have that letter of apology with the state header. Framed! Now I keep most of my funds out of the banks. Some in other states where local Comptrollers cannot touch it without a proper court order.
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I have heard so many tales of this - its why I keep all records and have insurance that pays for tax lawyers. I also don't keep funds in only one bank like you said. I have seen a friend become penniless and unable to hire a lawyer based on a 'mistake' by the IRS. By the time he was done proving his innocence his business was destroyed and he lost his home. A 'sorry' just doesn't cut it.
Not to mention someone else who had a freelancer (who only worked for her for 2 weeks) file as an employee for workman's comp which triggered an endless audit. She finally just closed her business as the only way to save her sanity. Now she is unemployed and relies on her husband.
Land of the Free? Home of the Brave?
No wonder we're screwed as a country now.
Also I am so sick of people who talk about 'tax cheats' when the IRS are the biggest crooks, terrorists and lying scum. How we don't openly revolt about this criminal organization is beyond me. I'd rather deal with the Mafia than these criminals.
And now they want to bring in a new illegal alien underclass and give them the 'blood money' extorted from working Americans. Seriously, what the hell is going on here??
Where is the special prosecutor? If this was an investigation by the IRS against a middle class American who had lost their records that American would be locked in a prison - life destroyed - for 20 years.
But we keep defending this hopelessly corrupt Federal Monster and their endless powers. The real war on terror should be waged against the IRS.
How about issuing some bench warrants for these obfuscators. Maybe that will get their attention.
Thank you for expressing some common sense.
So many idiots on this thread are just so full of themselves and their snark tonight that they can't seem to muster the least little bit of appreciation for the fact that setting up a criminal syndicate is a process.
And so far this set up is going just the way we'd all want it to go, too.
Some mistake their depressive snark with saying something meaningful, when in reality they have contributed nothing substantive to the discussion.
The judge basically said to the IRS, "That's the best set of excuses you can give me for your sad-assed behavior -- and in MY courtroom, no less?? Come back and try again. You've got a week."
The judge is setting up these IRS lackeys. The IRS came to him with "the best" they had and now they have to try to come up with another story that's better than the last and somehow doesn't contradict the first story in anyway or else someone's gonna have perjury written all over their face.
And maybe that's the point. That's when it will get real interesting ... who among them will be persuadable to flip in exchange for reduced charges?
The guy with the popcorn picture has it right.
FReegards!
You're welcome.
Of course everything depends upon the judge truly wanting to make the executive branch accountable to the people. If not, then he can pretty easily tie things up, requiring an appeal of his every decision.
Many of us remember Watergate. Nixon was ordered by the courts to turn over secret audiotapes recorded in the Oval Office. Claims of "executive privilege" do not extend to evidence of felonious behavior.
If the judge in this case demands evidence, I think he will get it.
Sixty-five people were convicted of felonies during Watergate, many of whom were lawyers and who had no direct involvement in the original crime. Such a thing could happen here.
This is pretty much what got people upset with Nixon. The fact that no liberal will stand up and acknowledge it’s the same thing....pretty much takes all the steam out of their argument. Hard to say why we can let the IRS continue to exist at this point.
contempt has to have a purge provision.
This is about putting the IRS under oath.
Hard drives have serial numbers.
Lerner is trying to say she does not have any fingerprints because something she touched was wiped clean. (deny her finger tips have prints)
Good one.
Lois and the IRS don't put much effort into their lies because they know the MSM 'wants to believe'. They're all democrats - what's a few lies among friends, right?
If the IRS had said the hard drives grew legs and walked out of Lois's office - the New York Times would've fallen for it.
Okay. Tomorrow is the deadline. What is going to happen?
I’d love to see Sullivan jail that smug little turkey Koskinen but we know that isn’t gonna happen.
I’ll be watching for an article and hopefully the judge does something to get their attention, I doubt they’ll turn over anything he’s asked for.
I know you are right. They are protected by the fact that the boy-moron will be able to pardon any transgressions. They need to get to the ROOT of the problem...
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