Posted on 08/30/2015 5:45:04 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The Internal Revenue Service must turn over any White House requests for taxpayers' private information, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The IRS cannot cite taxpayer confidentiality laws to avoid turning over the information requested by Cause of Action, Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled. Cause of Action has waged a two-year battle to discover whether Obama administration officials had any hand in the IRS' targeting of conservative non-profits.
The IRS cannot cite privacy protection "to shield the very misconduct it was enacted to prohibit," the judge said Friday, according to the Washington Times.
"This court questions whether section 6103 [of the tax code] should or would shield records that indicate confidential taxpayer information was misused, or that government officials made an improper attempt to access that information," wrote Jackson.
Questions about whether the White House directed the IRS' targeting of conservative nonprofits have dogged the administration since the scandal first broke. At one point "then-White House chief economist seemed to describe the tax structure of Koch Industries during a briefing with reporters," increasing speculation, reports the Washington Times.
So far there is no evidence pointing to White House involvement — in part because the IRS has blocked the release of the necessary documents. The agency refused to turn over even administration requests for records since they were first requested in 2013.
Friday's ruling in favor of Cause of Action will change all that.
"As we have said all along, this administration cannot misinterpret the law in order to potentially hide evidence of wrongdoing," said Dan Epstein, Cause of Action's executive director. "No administration is above the law, and we are pleased that the court has sided with us on this important point."
The Obama administration has faced multiple setbacks from federal judges of late: on Obama's executive immigration actions, on IRS Commissioner John Koskinen's failure to produce Lois Lerner's emails, and on the State Department's release of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails.
Records? What records?
It only means something if there is a time limit (a few days at most) and someone is thrown in prison for contempt for non compliance.
Those were verbal requests. What do you think all of those IRS visits to the WH were for?
And, then there’s the personal accounts used by various government officials (including Lois Lerner) to avoid the recordkeeping requirements.
Sure it will. I'll be holding my breath.
Wasn’t Obama keeping those on his own server? LOL
Will we receive a black vinyl disk with little groves on it?
America must stand for the rule of law. No law no civil society.
the judges ruling will mean nothing to the WH or the IRS. It’ll be the stuff of jokes.
Or what, Judge? Or what?
Yeah. How many divisions does that judge have?
How many years can they stonewall this? At least two I’d guess.
We know no stinking records!!!!
The Obama Regime’s attorneys will be requesting a stay on this ASAP as well as appealing it to the Appeals Court. The foot dragging and coverup will continue.
Aren’t democrats criminals who think laws don’t apply to them? They’ve got some nasty little surprises coming up... soon.
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