Wondering Aloud

So the IRS was throwing a paperwork blizzard in front of groups applying for tax-exempt status who had "Tea Party" or "Liberty" in their submitted names, something they apologized for as a local error made at a local office by low level employees.

At least that's what Baghdad Bob Carney, White House spokesman extraordinaire, told us Friday.  He also said the IRS is an independent agency run by a Bush political appointee and some other unknown political appointee.  And by the way, they are independent.

But the mainstream press was too busy actually asking some Benghazi questions to question Carney's replies.  Like, how would low level employees be allowed to ask the kind of expanded questions these groups faced?   Delegation is one thing, but good grief, doesn't the IRS have a legal department?

Of course they do, as Professor Jacobson answers:

Got that? The Chief Counsel knew, and in an election year the targeting expanded to groups educating people on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Democrats and media demonized the Tea Party and Homeland Security painted smaller government groups as potential threats, and guess who gets targeted by the IRS.

Since this was being investigated by the IRS Inspector General but leaked by the IRS itself it seems worthwhile to ask whether the Decider Guy or one of his minions asked them to release the story on the same Friday the Benghazi dam was bursting so it would get swallowed up in the resulting flood. But wait, they are independent.  Forgot.  Never mind.

MORE  5/12/13

A real LOL moment if there ever was one. Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't actually coming to get you!