- Jul 21, 2009
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Elijah Cummings, the very same Democrat on the committee that is investigating IRS abuses, claiming they are a Republican political witch-hunt, sent out letters that he felt that "True The Vote", a conservative group that is trying to assure that our elections are fair and honest, should be investigated by the IRS.
Yes, the very same Elijah Cummings who threw a temper-tantrum at the end of the last Lois Lerner hearing, when she again took the 5th. This very same Representative has been implicated in an investigation of a conservative group by the IRS.
And he claims this is all just a witch-hunt.
Revelations last week that the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, was in contact with the IRS in order to target the Texas-based conservatie group True the Vote is just "the tip of a very ugly iceberg" according to the group's president Catherine Engelbrecht,
Breitbart TV 6 Feb 2014 237
Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote who was targeted by the IRS, FBI and other agencies, filed a formal ethics complaint against Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Engelbrecht explained her reasoning on Thursday's "The Kelly File" on the Fox News Channel, accusing the Maryland Democrat of trying to intimidate her by causing the targeting.
Cummings on three separate occasions sent letters with his title on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee stating that he had concerns and felt an investigation should be open on True the Vote. True the Vote's Engelbrecht Files Formal Ethics Complaint Against Rep. Elijah Cummings
BREAKING: Emails Show Lois Lerner Fed True the Vote Tax Information to Democrat Elijah Cummings
Katie Pavlich | Apr 09, 2014
New IRS emails released by the House Oversight Committee show staff working for Democratic Ranking Member Elijah Cummings communicated with the IRS multiple times between 2012 and 2013 about voter fraud prevention group True the Vote. True the Vote was targeted by the IRS after applying for tax exempt status more than two years ago. Further, information shows the IRS and Cummings' staff asked for nearly identical information from True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht about her organization, indicating coordination and improper sharing of confidential taxpayer information.
Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa, along with five Subcommittee Chairmen are demanding Cummings provide an explanation for the staff inquiries to the IRS about True the Vote and for his denial that his staff ever contacted the IRS about the group.
Although you have previously denied that your staff made inquiries to the IRS about conservative organization True the Vote that may have led to additional agency scrutiny, communication records between your staff and IRS officials which you did not disclose to Majority Members or staff indicates otherwise, the letter to Cummings states. As the Committee is scheduled to consider a resolution holding Ms. Lerner, a participant in responding to your communications that you failed to disclose, in contempt of Congress, you have an obligation to fully explain your staffs undisclosed contacts with the IRS.
The first contact between the IRS and Cummings' staffers about True the Vote happened in August 2012. In January 2013, staff asked for more information from the IRS about the group. Former head of tax exempt groups at the IRS Lois Lerner went out of her way to try and get information to Cummings' office.The information Cummings received was not shared with Majority Members on the Committee.
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On January 31, Paz sent True the Vote's 990 forms to Cumming's staff.
Up until this point, Rep. Cummings has denied his staff ever contacted the IRS about True the Vote and their activities during Oversight hearings. In fact, on February 6, 2014 during a Subcommittee hearing where Engelbrecht testified, Cummings vehemently denied having any contact or coordination in targeting True the Vote when attorney Cleta Mitchell, who is representing the group, indicated staff on the Committee had been involved in communication with the IRS. This was the exchange:
Ms. Mitchell: We want to get to the bottom of how these coincidences happened, and were going to try to figure out whether any if there was any staff of this committee that might have been involved in putting True the Vote on the radar screen of some of these Federal agencies. We dont know that, but we were going to do everything we can do to try to get to the bottom of how did this all happen.
Mr. Cummings. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. Meadows. Yes.
Mr. Cummings. I want to thank the gentleman for his courtesy. What she just said is absolutely incorrect and not true.
Links
True the Vote's Engelbrecht Files Formal Ethics Complaint Against Rep. Elijah Cummings
BREAKING: Emails Show Lois Lerner Fed True the Vote Tax Information to Democrat Elijah Cummings - Katie Pavlich