This post is from the RenounceUSCitizenship blog.
Congressman Goes On Berating Rant At Ousted IRS Commissioner And Gets A Standing Ovation businessinsider.com/mike-kelly-ran… – Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) May 19, 2013
All U.S. citizens everywhere should watch this video of Mike Kelly and Steve Miller. I predict that (as the Carpenters sang):
“We’ve only just begun!”
Dem: Ex-IRS chief lied to Congress
Former IRS Chief Faces Bipartisan Ire on Capitol Hill
THe link for this goes to a google search for me
Dem: Ex-IRS chief lied to Congress
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/300573-dem-ex-irs-chief-lied-to-congress
Think it should be this
Thanks, Mark Twain. I’ve fixed the link.
Wow. That Strassel article in the WSJ linked by Calgary411 in a previous post is chilling.
“Mr. VanderSloot is the Obama target who in 2011 made a sizable donation to a group supporting Mitt Romney. In April 2012, an Obama campaign website named and slurred eight Romney donors. It tarred Mr. VanderSloot as a “wealthy individual” with a “less-than-reputable record.” Other donors were described as having been “on the wrong side of the law.”
“This was the Obama version of the phone call—put out to every government investigator (and liberal activist) in the land.
“Twelve days later, a man working for a political opposition-research firm called an Idaho courthouse for Mr. VanderSloot’s divorce records. In June, the IRS informed Mr. VanderSloot and his wife of an audit of two years of their taxes. In July, the Department of Labor informed him of an audit of the guest workers on his Idaho cattle ranch. In September, the IRS informed him of a second audit, of one of his businesses. Mr. VanderSloot, who had never been audited before, was subject to three in the four months after Mr. Obama teed him up for such scrutiny.
“The last of these audits was only concluded in recent weeks. Not one resulted in a fine or penalty. But Mr. VanderSloot has been waiting more than 20 months for a sizable refund and estimates his legal bills are $80,000. That figure doesn’t account for what the president’s vilification has done to his business and reputation.”
Top IRS official will invoke 5th Amendment
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-top-irs-official-fifth-amendment-20130521,0,6645565.story
Well, the investigation might not go very far if they refuse to talk….
FromTheWilderness; So you think writing “THE IRS SUCKS” on my roof might invite drone attack?
Invoking the 5th is just a wise strategy given that the FBI is now investigating. Last thing she’d want is to have her testimony used against her. Of course, it leads to some uncomfortable speculation about what really might have been going on, who knew and when did they know. That’s the big thing. Who knew. When did they know.
She’s probably worried that she’ll be the next one thrown under the bus. And is possibly fishing for an immunity offer – if she actually knows something.
I read somewhere that her responses to questions to date were surprisingly naive and that apparently she hadn’t understood the gravity of the situation. Probably her lawyers advised her to just keep her mouth shut, lest she make matters worse than they already are.
Interesting development in the investigation into the IRS…
Congress frustrated by IRS officials taking the 5th, have proposed a new bill H.R. 2458
Simply put…
SECTION 1. CAUSE FOR TERMINATION WHEN GRANTED IMMUNITY.
Any Federal employee who refuses to answer questions in a congressional hearing after being granted immunity shall be terminated from employment.
SEC. 2. CAUSE FOR TERMINATION WITHOUT WAIVER OF IMMUNITY.
Any Federal employee who, in a congressional hearing, refuses to answer questions specifically, directly, and narrowly relating to the official duties of such employee, without being required to waive immunity with respect to the use of answers or the fruits thereof in a criminal prosecution of such employee, shall be terminated from employment.
SEC. 3. FALSE TESTIMONY CAUSE FOR TERMINATION.
If three-fourths of the congressional body to whom the testimony was given finds that a Federal employee willfully or knowingly gave false testimony in a congressional hearing, then such employee shall be terminated from employment.
So there you go. A fitting end to the scandal, right?
Not so fast says Kelly Phillips Erb at Forbes…
Kelly Erb says: “..When it comes to the Constitution, bad actors shouldn’t equal bad law….”
Except that is exactly what the US is doing with the draconian and confiscatory FBAR in application to those ‘abroad’ who must hold local bank accounts – which are outside the US where they live, in order to conduct their ordinary affairs (ex. receive wages, pay bills, save for old age) , and in the design of FATCA. The BSA FBAR, and FATCA are bad law. They treat ALL those living abroad as ‘bad actors’ and criminals in waiting, and ALL accounts and assets held outside the US as suspect based only on geographical location.
PostFinance, one of the three banks that is still allowing limited banking services for USPs residing in Switzerland, has reportedly sent registered letters to its USP customers in Switzerland that unless they sign and return a W-9 by late July that their accounts will be blocked. Blocking a USP’s account would of course mean that wages, social insurance payments, etc. will not be received and rent, mortgage payments, health insurance, etc. will not be paid. The situation may become serious for some USPs.
There is a Swiss expression “ich gehe posteln” which means I’m going to the post to pay my bills but literally means “I’m going postal”. I hope it doesn’t come to that! 🙂