McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in Targeting

Excon said:

Judicial Watch Obtains IRS Documents Revealing McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in “Financially Ruinous” Targeting
JUNE 21, 2018

McCain minority staff director Henry Kerner to IRS official Lois Lerner and other IRS officials:
“the solution is to audit so many that it becomes financially ruinous”​

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today released newly obtained internal IRS documents, including material revealing that Sen. John McCain’s former staff director and chief counsel on the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee, Henry Kerner, urged top IRS officials, including then-director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner, to “audit so many that it becomes financially ruinous.” Kerner was appointed by President Trump as Special Counsel for the United States Office of Special Counsel.

The explosive exchange was contained in notes taken by IRS employees at an April 30, 2013, meeting between Kerner, Lerner, and other high-ranking IRS officials. Just ten days following the meeting, former IRS director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner admitted that the IRS had a policy of improperly and deliberately delaying applications for tax-exempt status from conservative non-profit groups.

Lerner and other IRS officials met with select top staffers from the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in a “marathon” meeting to discuss concerns raised by both Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that the IRS was not reining in political advocacy groups in response to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Senator McCain had been the chief sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Act and called the Citizens United decision, which overturned portions of the Act, one of the “worst decisions I have ever seen.”

In the full notes of an April 30 meeting, McCain’s high-ranking staffer Kerner recommends harassing non-profit groups until they are unable to continue operating. Kerner tells Lerner, Steve Miller, then chief of staff to IRS commissioner, Nikole Flax, and other IRS officials, “Maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous.” In response, Lerner responded that “it is her job to oversee it all:”

Henry Kerner asked how to get to the abuse of organizations claiming section 501 (c)(4) but designed to be primarily political. Lois Lerner said the system works, but not in real time. Henry Kerner noted that these organizations don’t disclose donors. Lois Lerner said that if they don’t meet the requirements, we can come in and revoke, but it doesn’t happen timely. Nan Marks said if the concern is that organizations engaging in this activity don’t disclose donors, then the system doesn’t work. Henry Kerner said that maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous. Nikole noted that we have budget constraints. Elise Bean suggested using the list of organizations that made independent expenditures. Lois Lerner said that it is her job to oversee it all, not just political campaign activity.​

[...]

Judicial Watch Obtains IRS Documents Revealing McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in “Financially Ruinous” Targeting​

Being a POW does not make one a war hero.
I can't imagine a scenario in which McCain wasn't behind his Subcommittee Staff Director's actions here. Which certainly suggests he is a dirt bag.

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chuckiechan said:

We really need a purge in DC. I cannot believe anyone would weaponize the IRS unless they were crazy. I never really thought McCain was dealing with full deck, and now this. Jesus F. Christ.

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Excon said:

Judicial Watch Obtains IRS Documents Revealing McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in “Financially Ruinous” Targeting
JUNE 21, 2018

McCain minority staff director Henry Kerner to IRS official Lois Lerner and other IRS officials:
“the solution is to audit so many that it becomes financially ruinous”​

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today released newly obtained internal IRS documents, including material revealing that Sen. John McCain’s former staff director and chief counsel on the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee, Henry Kerner, urged top IRS officials, including then-director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner, to “audit so many that it becomes financially ruinous.” Kerner was appointed by President Trump as Special Counsel for the United States Office of Special Counsel.

The explosive exchange was contained in notes taken by IRS employees at an April 30, 2013, meeting between Kerner, Lerner, and other high-ranking IRS officials. Just ten days following the meeting, former IRS director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner admitted that the IRS had a policy of improperly and deliberately delaying applications for tax-exempt status from conservative non-profit groups.

Lerner and other IRS officials met with select top staffers from the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in a “marathon” meeting to discuss concerns raised by both Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that the IRS was not reining in political advocacy groups in response to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Senator McCain had been the chief sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Act and called the Citizens United decision, which overturned portions of the Act, one of the “worst decisions I have ever seen.”

In the full notes of an April 30 meeting, McCain’s high-ranking staffer Kerner recommends harassing non-profit groups until they are unable to continue operating. Kerner tells Lerner, Steve Miller, then chief of staff to IRS commissioner, Nikole Flax, and other IRS officials, “Maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous.” In response, Lerner responded that “it is her job to oversee it all:”

Henry Kerner asked how to get to the abuse of organizations claiming section 501 (c)(4) but designed to be primarily political. Lois Lerner said the system works, but not in real time. Henry Kerner noted that these organizations don’t disclose donors. Lois Lerner said that if they don’t meet the requirements, we can come in and revoke, but it doesn’t happen timely. Nan Marks said if the concern is that organizations engaging in this activity don’t disclose donors, then the system doesn’t work. Henry Kerner said that maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous. Nikole noted that we have budget constraints. Elise Bean suggested using the list of organizations that made independent expenditures. Lois Lerner said that it is her job to oversee it all, not just political campaign activity.​

[...]

Judicial Watch Obtains IRS Documents Revealing McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in “Financially Ruinous” Targeting​

Being a POW does not make one a war hero.
I can't imagine a scenario in which McCain wasn't behind his Subcommittee Staff Director's actions here. Which certainly suggests he is a dirt bag.

Click to expand...

Excon said:

Judicial Watch Obtains IRS Documents Revealing McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in “Financially Ruinous” Targeting
JUNE 21, 2018

McCain minority staff director Henry Kerner to IRS official Lois Lerner and other IRS officials:
“the solution is to audit so many that it becomes financially ruinous”​

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today released newly obtained internal IRS documents, including material revealing that Sen. John McCain’s former staff director and chief counsel on the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee, Henry Kerner, urged top IRS officials, including then-director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner, to “audit so many that it becomes financially ruinous.” Kerner was appointed by President Trump as Special Counsel for the United States Office of Special Counsel.

The explosive exchange was contained in notes taken by IRS employees at an April 30, 2013, meeting between Kerner, Lerner, and other high-ranking IRS officials. Just ten days following the meeting, former IRS director of exempt organizations Lois Lerner admitted that the IRS had a policy of improperly and deliberately delaying applications for tax-exempt status from conservative non-profit groups.

Lerner and other IRS officials met with select top staffers from the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in a “marathon” meeting to discuss concerns raised by both Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that the IRS was not reining in political advocacy groups in response to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Senator McCain had been the chief sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Act and called the Citizens United decision, which overturned portions of the Act, one of the “worst decisions I have ever seen.”

In the full notes of an April 30 meeting, McCain’s high-ranking staffer Kerner recommends harassing non-profit groups until they are unable to continue operating. Kerner tells Lerner, Steve Miller, then chief of staff to IRS commissioner, Nikole Flax, and other IRS officials, “Maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous.” In response, Lerner responded that “it is her job to oversee it all:”

Henry Kerner asked how to get to the abuse of organizations claiming section 501 (c)(4) but designed to be primarily political. Lois Lerner said the system works, but not in real time. Henry Kerner noted that these organizations don’t disclose donors. Lois Lerner said that if they don’t meet the requirements, we can come in and revoke, but it doesn’t happen timely. Nan Marks said if the concern is that organizations engaging in this activity don’t disclose donors, then the system doesn’t work. Henry Kerner said that maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous. Nikole noted that we have budget constraints. Elise Bean suggested using the list of organizations that made independent expenditures. Lois Lerner said that it is her job to oversee it all, not just political campaign activity.​

[...]

Judicial Watch Obtains IRS Documents Revealing McCain’s Subcommittee Staff Director Urged IRS to Engage in “Financially Ruinous” Targeting​

Being a POW does not make one a war hero.
I can't imagine a scenario in which McCain wasn't behind his Subcommittee Staff Director's actions here. Which certainly suggests he is a dirt bag.

Click to expand...

• Do I like now or then that was the outcome of the investigation? No, but it was, and so I've moved on.
• Might there have been a conspiracy of sorts to "insulate" Reagan from appearing culpable, knowing yet acquiescent, or some other such? There may have been, but I can't prove there was or was not, so whether I think there was or was not is of no matter. Thus, why would I deliberately make myself look like a stark raving madman by advancing now such notions in contravention of the special investigator's findings?

Barnacle said:

The only honorable thing McCain has ever done was to refuse an early release by the North Vietnamese, offered to him on account of his father's rank in the military.
And that refusal probably was because he knew his father would have killed him for taking the coward's way out while his soldiers were suffering.

That was 50 years ago, the last time McCain did an honorable deed. (spit)

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Helix said:

he said something mean about Trump, so now the cult is on him even though he's dying. dude is five hundred times the man that Trump will ever be, and that's coming from someone who has never really supported him.

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Lutherf said:

You may recall that McCain fell afoul of most Conservatives back in 2007 when he teamed up with Ted Kennedy to pass an immigration amnesty bill. Of course, McCain has a long history of siding with Democrats. Way back in 1989 he jumped on the bandwagon with 4 Democrat senators to cover for Charles Keating. See, McCain has a long, long history of making decisions that favor his political friends first and the people he represents only when those interests align with the people who give him money.

Keep this in mind too, McCain is the guy who walked the Steele dossier in to Comey and said "investigate this".

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Xelor said:

Pink:

Wait a minute. Isn't the charge supposed to be the Obama used the IRS to that end?​

Red:
I sure can. A scenario similar to Iran Contra strikes me as one. Yes, it is hard to fathom that Reagan truly didn't know and sanction the approaches that were used, but that's what was settled on. Unless and until evidence to the contrary comes to the fore, that's the way it was.

• Do I like now or then that was the outcome of the investigation? No, but it was, and so I've moved on.
• Might there have been a conspiracy of sorts to "insulate" Reagan from appearing culpable, knowing yet acquiescent, or some other such? There may have been, but I can't prove there was or was not, so whether I think there was or was not is of no matter. Thus, why would I deliberately make myself look like a stark raving madman by advancing now such notions in contravention of the special investigator's findings?

Click to expand...

Helix said:

he said something mean about Trump, so now the cult is on him even though he's dying. dude is five hundred times the man that Trump will ever be, and that's coming from someone who has never really supported him.

Click to expand...

JMR said:

And still, Trump couldn't carry his jock.

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Helix said:

i recall. i was a right winger back then. however, he's still orders of magnitude above Trump, whose political leanings have been all over the place depending on the situation.

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