IRS Official to Judicial Watch: Clinton Enemies Were Audited

Newsmax ^ | April 23,2002 | Carl Limbacher

[Kay Soze]

IRS Official to Judicial Watch: Clinton Enemies Were Audited Carl Limbacher, NewsMax.com

Tuesday, April 23, 2002

An official with the Internal Revenue Service has admitted that legal opponents of former President Bill Clinton were singled out for tax audits, according to court documents made public this week. "What do you expect when you sue the president?" senior IRS official Paul Breslan told Judicial Watch, the Washington-based legal watchdog group that had filed 50-plus legal actions against the Clinton administration and subsequently found itself in the IRS's cross hairs.

Breslan's quote is cited in Judicial Watch's complaint against the tax agency, based on a host of what look to be politically inspired audits that make the worst abuses of the Nixon administration appear puny by comparison.

"There were literally six witnesses in the room when Breslan told us we should have expected an audit," Judicial Watch Chairman Larry Klayman revealed to NewsMax.com. "Four of them were lawyers."

The legal group became the target of an IRS audit in 1998, just four days after it filed an independent impeachment report against Clinton, based on years of investigation into everything from Chinagate to the Paula Jones case.

But Judicial Watch wasn't alone. Witnesses bearing damaging testimony against the president were a favorite target of the Clinton IRS. Those singled out for audits include:

Leak

The Jones case, which would eventually lead to Clinton's impeachment, was of particular interest to the IRS, which apparently leaked her confidential tax returns to the late New York Daily News reporter Lars Erik Nelson.

In a September 1997 column Nelson revealed details from Jones' filing to bolster claims that she was profiting from her sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton.

In a subsequent interview with NewsMax.com's Carl Limbacher (then with the Washington Weekly), Nelson insisted somewhat implausibly that a "friend" of Jones had come across her tax return during a visit to her home and decided to go public with the secrets.

Quite an Enemies List

As the Judicial Watch complaint notes, the Clinton IRS also went after organizations and even media companies it perceived as politically hostile, including:

The National Rifle Association, The Heritage Foundation, The National Review, The American Spectator, Freedom Alliance, National Center for Public Policy Research, American Policy Center, American Cause, Citizens Against Government Waste, Citizens for Honest Government, Progress and Freedom Foundation, Concerned Women for America and the San Diego Chapter of Christian Coalition.

Fox News Channel analyst Bill O'Reilly, a frequent critic of Bill and Hillary Clinton, has also pointed out how the IRS has repeatedly audited him.

The political nature of the Judicial Watch's audit seems particularly blatant.

"The IRS asked for our political affiliations in the first notice of audit," Klayman told NewsMax.

When he questioned why auditors wanted to know about the group's political ties, an IRS district director said the information had been deemed "relevant."

Worse still, each time Judicial Watch seemed to make legal headway against the White House, the IRS ratcheted up the pressure.

"When we would accomplish something big, like the criminal finding by Judge Royce Lamberth against Clinton in the Kathleen Willey Privacy Act case, our lawyers would get a call saying, 'We just want you to know that Judicial Watch is still on the IRS's radar screen,'" Klayman said.

"The same thing happened when we revealed the White House e-mail scandal," he added.

Shockingly, the IRS's intimidation tactics continue into the Bush administration, which has failed to sack Clinton's IRS Commissioner Charles Rosotti.

After Judicial Watch won the release of thousands of pages of documents from Vice President Dick Cheney's Energy Task Force last month, a badge-wearing IRS agent showed up at the group's offices.

A personal meeting between Klayman and Bush Justice Department Criminal Division chief Michael Chertoff, who led the Senate investigation into the Clintons' Whitewater abuses, failed to yield any interest in pursuing IRS abuses, which now threaten to tarnish the Bush administration.

When noted columnist Robert Novak inquired of the Justice Department about Judicial Watch's IRS complaint, he was told by a department official, "I don't know what we are going to do with this Klayman."

"When we were told that we were being audited because we sued Bill Clinton, we had no choice but to stand up and fight in court," Klayman said. "By leaving Charles Rossotti as IRS commissioner, Bush obviously is sending a signal that political audits are fine with him."

[FreedominJesusChrist]

"It's time for you to go down Rebeckie."

Hmmm...sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this one. Organized the entire coupe yet?

[Luis Gonzalez]

""It is true that Bush and Ashcroft did not actually take part directly in the promotion of this guy..."---but, but...larry said they did!

Posted by FreedominJesusChrist

"It is true that the headline could have been clarified a little better, but it is not an outright lie."---it isn't exactly the truth either...is it?

Posted by FreedominJesusChrist

It's OK, it isn't an OUTRIGHT lie...and it's OK for JW to tell little lies...is that what you're saying here?

P.S. What part of not taking the Lord's name in vain do you not understand?

Have you figured out yet that's whjy some posters refer to you by any name other than your handle?

[FreedominJesusChrist]

Luis, I understand that you are upset about my Banana boat comment, but do you or don't you have a sense of humor?

Really honey, you are starting to worry me with your high blood pressure and all.

But in all seriousness, most people call me by my old screename because they know it annoys me. And as for my faith and personal walk with Christ, I will let God be the judge of that and not you.

[FreedominJesusChrist]

Judicial Watch was not lying in that headline, they were stretching a connection.

[Luis Gonzalez]

So, you're dodging the questions?

They're still right there in front of you.

Is it OK for that headline to not tell the truth?

[FreedominJesusChrist]

I am not dodging your questions Luis. The fact is that, that headline is not lying, the headline was stretching two connections.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Judicial Watch was not lying in that headline, they were stretching a connection."

Rebeckie

"It depends on the meaning of "is".

Bill Clinton

[FreedominJesusChrist]

Now, that is REALLY stretching it.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Judicial Watch was not lying in that headline, they were stretching a connection."

"It is true that the headline could have been clarified a little better, but it is not an outright lie."

"It is true that Bush and Ashcroft did not actually take part directly in the promotion of this guy..."

Stretching a connection? Not an outright lie?

Quit telling me what it isn't and tell me what it is!

Is the headline the truth?

[FreedominJesusChrist]

Well, for starters, I cannot begin to adequately apply to your interesting at best, comments, when you misquote Bill Clinton. Your grammar is quite incorrect and the period belongs in the quotation marks. When you have quotation marks in quotation marks, it is just one mark.

i.e. 'is.'"

[Luis Gonzalez]

What you are doing is called the "rope-a-dope"...and you ain't no Ali little girl.

I am not interested in your editing skills or your grammatical proficiency.

Is the headline the truth?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"I cannot begin to adequately apply to your interesting at best, comments, when you misquote Bill Clinton."

Well, it isn't an outright misquote, is it?

I'm just "stretching" the truth...it's OK for Larry, isn't it?

[FreedominJesusChrist]

"What you are doing is called the "rope-a-dope"...and you ain't no Ali little girl."

Well, I am completely aware that I was sort of dodging your question, but for a darn good reason. Of course that Judicial Watch headline is telling the truth and I happen to believe that it is very eloquently telling the truth and I praise whoever wrote that! Whoever wrote that headline is the greatest, in my humble opinion. What a way to catch people's attention.

[FreedominJesusChrist]

The only reason you were misquoting Bill Clinton is because your grammar was incorrect.

[FreedominJesusChrist]

"It's time for you to go down Rebeckie."

I am waiting for the melodramatic music to come on and then for you to break out into song and dance.

[Howlin]

I most certainly DO deny I ever said Linda Tripp lied during her deposition.

You posted what I said; the other conclusions are from your obsessed mind.

You are a dishonest poster. I've asked you at least five times to either produce the post of mine where I said she was a liar, or stop telling people I said it.

You have yet to do so; now it's time for you to admit you're not telling the truth, and stop posting that about me.

[Howlin]

And note, folks, that Howlin STILL doesn't say that she believes Tripp ... only that she never called her "a liar".

Produce it, or stop this dishonesty.

[Howlin]

As usual, you're avoiding my question because it's NOT TRUE. If I were you, I wouldn't be posting that other posters are liars.

[Howlin]

Gratutitous capitalization.

[Howlin]

ME: BTW, I have NEVER typed the word JANOWSKI in my life until this very post.

YOU: You do know who Janowski is, don't you?

There you go again, avoiding my statement. I have NEVER discussed Janowski with you or anybody else, nor have I ever typed ANYTHING about Janowski, including her name. Produce it, or stop distorting.

You need to stop posting that.