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It seems that things couldn’t be grimmer for the Obama administration as it tries to pursue a legacy during the President’s second and final term in office. First the Libya embassy bombings plagued him, then gun control followed by unemployment, and most recently the sniping of private AP records – a clear violation of the U.S. constitution. Now it’s all ears to the ground regarding the controversial practices by the IRS, who specifically targeted Tea Party members with nonprofit groups in a clear discriminatory practice that recently saw the IRS director resign, and an announcement by Attorney General Eric Holder that a formal criminal investigation is underway.
Obama’s response: “I didn’t know about IRS practices.”
“I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the [inspector general] report before the I.G. report had been leaked” Mr. Obama stated Thursday at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The IRS has issued a public apology this past week over the allegations that its employees specifically scrutinized conservative groups when seeking tax exempt status. Groups that had anything tied to the Tea Party group had their requests put on the backburner and intensively scrutinized; far more so than other submissions that were made during the same time period. While there is no evidence that links anyone in the Obama administration to the alleged misconduct, the administration is bearing quite the media brunt for it having happened under his watch as the Commander in Chief.
“What I’m absolutely certain of is that the actions that were described in that I.G. report are unacceptable,” the President said, insisting that the first time he learned about these discretions was when it was formally announced by the press.
The Justice Department, at the urging of Eric Holder and Obama, has opened a formal criminal investigation into the matter. Whether there was intentional misconduct or not, and whether any laws were or weren’t broken, yet remains to be seen. The President has pledged to root out any “structural or management” and to “make sure that we gather up the facts and hold accountable and responsible anybody who was involved in this.”
Opponents have expressed they are disgruntled, likening Obama to that of President Richard Nixon, with some even calling for impeachment. The President was quick to assert his disapproval of such wild allegations, telling one reporter to “go ahead and read the history, I think, and draw your own conclusions.”
“I’ll let you guys engage in those comparisons,” he said. “I am intent on making sure that we do everything we can to prevent another tragedy like this from happening.”
