Posted on 02/19/2015 4:18:40 PM PST by Libloather
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is blocking a high-ranking nomination at the Office of Personnel Management, an agency that he says is responsible for an “unfair, possibly illegal” exemption from ObamaCare.
Vitter announced Wednesday that he will refuse to allow Earl Gay to become the agency’s deputy director because the agency has ignored his questions about what he calls the “Washington exemption for ObamaCare.”
“Once they answer some specific questions about why they think Congress is entitled to a special exemption from Obamacare, I’ll release the hold,” Vitter wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Vitter, who was recently named chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, has long made it a priority to show the benefits that lawmakers receive from ObamaCare.
Last week, Vitter accused congressional clerks of filing false information with the District of Columbia's ObamaCare marketplace to ensure that lawmakers and staff could obtain subsidized health insurance through the system.
The vocal critic of Congress's employer healthcare subsidy claimed Wednesday that Capitol Hill administrators ran afoul of ethics rules by classifying Congress as a "small business" on applications to participate in D.C.'s Small Business Exchange. That allows members of Congress to continue to collect a subsidy that pays for a large chunk of their healthcare costs, he said.
The rule also allows some staff to avoid the exchange entirely. A loophole used in both chambers allows lawmakers to designate staff as "unofficial" or "official staff," which permits them to keep their insurance coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.
Vitter announced last week that he was launching an investigation into the rule.
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is claiming that congressional clerks are stonewalling his investigation into why some staffers are allowed exemptions from ObamaCare.
Vitter has aggressively opposed a provision of ObamaCare that allows certain congressional aides to receive employer subsidies to buy healthcare insurance, which he calls “Washington’s ObamaCare exemption.”
Vitter recently wrote to financial clerks in both chambers, as well as leaders of the D.C. health exchange, to demand documents that showed the origin of the exemption.
But he said Thursday that each of his requests was rejected.
“Key players involved appear unwilling to comply with a straightforward Congressional request,” Vitter wrote in a statement Thursday.
“I will continue this investigation until the people responsible for this mess are identified and held accountable,” he said, adding that he has given officials until Feb. 24 to comply.
The new investigation comes more than one year after Vitter sought documents from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), but received no response, he said.
All members of Congress and “official” members of their staff are required to purchase healthcare through the marketplaces, as stipulated by the Grassley amendment to the Affordable Care Act.
The Louisiana Republican has pushed his own version, called the Vitter amendment, which would require all staffers to go through the exchanges.
Vitter has redoubled his efforts in the new GOP-controlled Congress, gaining some traction. He announced last week that he would block the nomination of a high-ranking OPM official because the agency has ignored his questions about ObamaCare.
“Once they answer some specific questions about why they think Congress is entitled to a special exemption from ObamaCare, I’ll release the hold,” Vitter said last week.
Another Republican lawmaker, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (Ohio), is also hoping to renew the fight.
Wenstrup introduced a bill called the “Show Your Exemption Act” last week, which would require members of Congress to disclose publicly whether their staff members purchase insurance through ObamaCare, information that is not currently available.
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/233276-vitter-clerks-are-blocking-obamacare-investigation
Vitter also is airing Lynch’s actions in the HSBC case.
He’s on fire!
How do liberals say “Sock it to me!” You have to laugh when a federal agency has a BOHICA moment.
GO VITTER GO!!!
Attaboy, Dave.
“Vitter also is airing Lynch’s actions in the HSBC case.
He’s on fire!”
Agreed. Excellent work by Vitter.
For Immediate Release Contact: Luke Bolar, Lindsay Bembenek
February 19, 2015 (202) 224-4623
Vitter Pushes DOJ for Information on HSBC Drug Money Laundering, Tax Evasion
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder pushing for information regarding alleged tax evasion and money laundering by megabank HSBC in 2012. HSBC was charged with allowing a massive billion dollar money laundering scheme that involved Mexican drug cartels and international terrorist organizations, but was punished with a minor monetary penalty. U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, nominee to replace Holder as Attorney General, allowed HSBC to reach an agreement that avoids prosecution, instead of immediately pursuing criminal charges.
“This case has been completely swept under the rug, but it provides significant insight into how Loretta Lynch would act as our country’s top law enforcement official,” Vitter said. “If she completely ignored serious tax evasion allegations against HSBC that put the identities of American citizens at risk, we need to know a heck of a lot more about it.”
Lynch’s nomination was scheduled to receive a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, but Vitter and others requested a hold-over. The vote on her confirmation has been delayed.
Prior to the nomination hearings, Lynch failed to include in her questionnaire an interview in which she defended the HSBC settlement. Vitter submitted a question for the record asking Lynch how she will handle oversight of this settlement given the role she played in negotiating it. Click here to read more.
In 2012, HSBC entered into an agreement for $1.26 billion and paid another $665 million in penalties to avoid criminal prosecution. These amounts represent a small fraction of HSBC’s assets. Vitter has been in touch with a whistleblower who is a former HSBC employee. Click here to read more.
HSBC continues to face similar allegations around the world. Yesterday, Swiss prosecutors raided HSBC’s offices in Geneva based on allegations of tax evasion and money laundering. Click here to read more.
The text of the letter is below.
February 19, 2015
The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Holder:
As the Senate considers the nomination of the next Attorney General of the United States, questions remain unanswered about potentially lax treatment of HSBC Bank USA (HSBC) by the Department of Justice. The handling of this case is particularly important given the insight it gives the Senate into the decisions made by Loretta Lynch, who was in charge of the US Attorney’s office and the case at the time. To further the Senate’s consideration of her nomination, I request you supply me and the rest of the Senate Judiciary Committee with any documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in regard to HSBC, as well as the other documents enumerated below in regard to the HSBC settlement.
These decisions by the DOJ and Ms. Lynch’s office raise troubling questions about whether pertinent information of public concern regarding HSBC was “swept under the rug”, if justice was served, and why HSBC was given special treatment that allowed it to walk away from such serious offenses unscathed. This case is increasingly relevant and pressing now that Ms. Lynch has been nominated as the next Attorney General.
If media reports are true, knowledge of HSBC shielding clients from US tax liabilities was known to the Department of Justice at least as early as April 2010, yet no criminal charges have ever been brought against HSBC for tax evasion. Moreover, in 2012 the US Attorney’s Office run by Ms. Lynch negotiated a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with HSBC that allowed HSBC to admit guilt for the crimes of money laundering and facilitating transactions with sanctioned countries, but avoid criminal prosecution for those infractions.
Accordingly, as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I request that the Department of Justice (DOJ) provide the following information:
1) Copies of all documents and information in DOJ’s possession reflecting when the DOJ first learned that HSBC may be involved in tax evasion, including but not limited to any recommendations from the IRS in regard to HSBC and tax evasion;
2) Copies of all documents and information in DOJ’s possession, including but not limited to information received from French authorities or any other persons, governments or entities, reflecting evidence that HSBC was shielding clients from tax liabilities;
3) Copies of all documents and information relating to the negotiation of the DPA with HSBC; and
4) Copies of all documents and information relating to why DOJ chose not to prosecute HSBC for tax evasion, fraud, money laundering, facilitating transactions with sanctioned countries or any other crimes.
Please deliver copies of this information to my Senate office in Hart Senate Office Building Room 516, and in electronic form to Travis Johnson at Travis_Johnson@Vitter.Senate.Gov by February 23, 2015. Should you have any questions, please contact Travis in my office at (202) 224-4623.
Sincerely,
David Vitter
United States Senate
He's running for Governor of Louisiana...
Congress may not qualify for a small business exemption, but if there is an exemption for monkey business, they’re home free.
Good!
The Dems money machine needs to be destroyed.
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