Under Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, it is a FELONY for an IRS official to disclose taxpayer return information to anyone at all. That includes other government agencies.
Judicial Watch announced October 31, 2013 that it has obtained hard evidence that, during the 2009 election season, IRS honcho, Lois Lerner (photo), provided confidential taxpayer return information about Conservative groups to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
This new evidence confirms our suspicion that the Obama IRS and the Obama FEC colluded illegally to influence the 2009 election on behalf of Democrats.
Before moving to the IRS, Lerner was a honcho at … surprise surprise … the FEC, where she appears to have engaged in similarly illegal harassment of Conservative groups.
In the late 1990s, Lerner’s division at the FEC launched an onerous investigation of the Christian Coalition despite having no evidence of any wrong-doing and even less legal standing to conduct such an investigation. The FEC’s harassment ultimately cost the Christian Coalition hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours in lost work.
Among the inappropriate and intrusive lines of questioning the FEC attorneys pursued were demanding to know who attended prayer meetings at the Christian Coalition, what churches these people belonged to, and what the people at these prayer meetings prayed about.
The FEC deposed three pastors from South Carolina, only one of whom had the slightest connection with the Christian Coalition. The FEC lawyers demanded to know about these pastors’ federal, state and local political activities, as well as about the associations and activities of the members of their congregations, and even other pastors.
Exaggerations? Hardly. The following is from the transcript of the FEC’s deposition of Lt. Col. Oliver North:
Q (FEC lawyer): (reading from a letter from Oliver North to Pat Robertson) “‘Betsy and I thank you for your kind regards and prayers.’ The next paragraph is, ‘Please give our love to Dede and I hope to see you in the near future.’ Who is Dede?”
A (North): “That is Mrs. Robertson.”
Q: “What did you mean in paragraph 2, about thanking -you and your wife thanking Pat Robertson for kind regards?”
A: “Last time I checked in America, prayers were still legal. I am sure that Pat had said he was praying for my family and me in some correspondence or phone call.”
Q: “Would that be something that Pat Robertson was doing for you?”
A: “I hope a lot of people were praying for me, Holly.”
Q: “But you knew that Pat Robertson was?”
A: “Well, apparently at that time I was reflecting something that Pat had either, as I said, had told me or conveyed to me in some fashion, and it is my habit to thank people for things like that.”
Q: “During the time that you knew Pat Robertson, was it your impression that he had – he was praying for you?”
O (Christian Coalition’s attorney): “I object. There is no allegation that praying creates a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act and there is no such allegation in the complaint. This is completely irrelevant and intrusive on the religious beliefs of this witness.”
O: “It is a very strange line of questioning. You have got to be kidding, really. What are you thinking of, to ask questions like that? I mean, really. I have been to some strange depositions, but I don’t think I have ever had anybody inquire into somebody’s prayers. I think that is really just outrageous. And if you want to ask some questions regarding political activities, please do and then we can get over this very quickly. But if you want to ask abou somebody’s religious activities, that is outrageous.”
Q: “I am allowed to make-’’
O: “We are allowed not to answer and if you think the Commission is going to permit you to go forward with a question about somebody’s prayers, I just don’t believe that. I just don’t for a moment believe that. I find that the most outrageous line of questioning. I am going to instruct my witness not to answer.”
Q: “On what grounds?”
O: “We are not going to let you inquire about people’s religious beliefs or activities, period. If you want to ask about someone’s prayers-Jeez, I don’t know what we are thinking of. But the answer is, no, people are not going to respond to questions about people’s prayers, no.”
Q: “Will you take that, at the first break, take it up- we will do whatever we have to do.”
O: “You do whatever you think you have to do to get them to answer questions about what people are praying about.”
Q: “I did not ask Mr. North what people were praying about I am allowed to inquire about the relationship between-’’
O: “Absolutely, but you have asked the question repeatedly. If you move on to a question other than about prayer, be my guest.”
Q: “I have been asking you a series of questions about your relationship with Pat Robertson, the Christian Coalition. . . . It is relevant to this inquiry what relationship you had with Pat Robertson andI have asked you whether Pat Robertson had indicated to you that he was praying for you.”
O: “If that is a question, I will further object. It is an intrusion upon the religious beliefs and activities of Dr. Robertson. And how that could – how the Federal Government can be asking about an individual’s personal religious practices in the context of an alleged investigation under the Federal Election Campaign Act, I am just at a complete loss to see the relevance or potential relevance, and I consider that to be also intrusive.”
Q: “Was Pat Robertson praying for you in 1991?”
O: “Same objection.”
A: “I hope so. I hope he still is.”
SUMMARY:
- 1999: The Christian Coalition was CLEARED following Lerner’s FEC witch hunt
- 2001: Lois Lerner was PROMOTED to acting General Counsel at the FEC.
- 2006: Lerner was again PROMOTED to the head up the IRS division handling tax-exempt groups.
- 2009: Lerner instructed her IRS division to collude with the FEC in harassing Conservative political groups.
- 2013: In May, Lerner appeared before Congress, but PLED THE FIFTH (refused to answer questions) about her actions in 2009.
- 2013: In September, Lerner RETIRED from the IRS after an internal investigation found she was guilty of “neglect of duties.”
- 2013: In October, WaPo reported Lerner was seeking a spot on the Montgomery County, MD, citizens panel that reviews grant applications from tax-exempt, nonprofit community groups.
So far as I know, Lois Lerner is collecting a generous PENSION based on more than three decades in government service.
Sources:
