http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/20/group-fighting-voter-fraud-among-those-waiting-on-/
Group fighting voter fraud among those waiting on IRS; reams of documents still not enough
By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Monday, May 20, 2013


A Texas group dedicated to combatting voter fraud applied for tax-exempt status in 2010 and has suffered three years of delays, been through four different IRS agents, undergone six FBI inquiries and submitted thousands of pages of documentation — and its still hasn’t been approved.

True the Vote is just one of the dozens of groups caught up in the IRS plan to give extra scrutiny to conservative groups in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

SEE RELATED: Carney: White House aides insulated Obama from IRS scandal

As Congress delves into the question of whether the burgeoning scandal was bureaucratic malfeasance, as the IRS now acknowledges, or a more sinister political witch hunt, as some Republicans believe, True the Vote’s experience is poking holes in the IRS‘ version of events, and lending credence to the nefarious explanations.

In one example, the IRS asked other Texas-based tea party groups what their relationship was with True the Vote — a fishing expedition that group President Catherine Engelbrecht didn’t learn about until the IRS scandal burst onto front pages.

“It suggests that they are trying to construct some kind of web in which to trap groups that they believe are somehow working together,” Ms. Engelbrecht said.

Enlarge Photo

The IRS‘ inspector general released a report last week that found the IRS targeted conservative groups for added scrutiny beginning in 2010, looking particularly at those that used “tea party,” “patriot” or “9/12” in their names.

The IRS acknowledges asking inappropriate questions but bristles at other charges. Acting Commissioner Steven Miller said the agency was trying to weed out groups engaging in political activity in violation of tax laws. He said the scrutiny was enhanced because of a surge of new groups after the 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case.

The IRS also said that the actions were taken by employees in an Ohio office, and that the agency has been taking steps to curtail inappropriate information requests in 2011.

But most of those claims appear to be untrue, based on the experience of True the Vote and other groups subjected to extra scrutiny.

Both Ms. Engelbrecht and True the Vote’s lawyer, Cleta Mitchell, said they had conversations with IRS agents who indicated that the files were being scrutinized in Washington, not in the Cincinnati office blamed by the IRS.

“More than one agent in Cincinnati has advised me that his/her instructions regarding the processing of my ‘tea party’ related organization client(s) were coming from the Washington, D.C., office,” Ms. Mitchell said in a letter to the IRS earlier this month.

And the probing letters continued well after the time the IRS said it began curtailing them, with the most recent inquiries to True the Vote coming in November and again in March.

Conservative target

True the Vote stemmed from Ms. Engelbrecht’s experience in the 2008 and 2009 elections, when she said she worked the polls and saw everything from administrative dysfunction to situations that looked like they could lead to fraud.

In July 2010, she and other supporters formed King Street Patriots under the tax code’s section 501(c )(4), which allows groups to do some politicking as long as it’s not their primary purpose.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/20/group-fighting-voter-fraud-among-those-waiting-on-/
Group fighting voter fraud among those waiting on IRS; reams of documents still not enough
By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Monday, May 20, 2013


A Texas group dedicated to combatting voter fraud applied for tax-exempt status in 2010 and has suffered three years of delays, been through four different IRS agents, undergone six FBI inquiries and submitted thousands of pages of documentation — and its still hasn’t been approved.

True the Vote is just one of the dozens of groups caught up in the IRS plan to give extra scrutiny to conservative groups in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

SEE RELATED: Carney: White House aides insulated Obama from IRS scandal

As Congress delves into the question of whether the burgeoning scandal was bureaucratic malfeasance, as the IRS now acknowledges, or a more sinister political witch hunt, as some Republicans believe, True the Vote’s experience is poking holes in the IRS‘ version of events, and lending credence to the nefarious explanations.

In one example, the IRS asked other Texas-based tea party groups what their relationship was with True the Vote — a fishing expedition that group President Catherine Engelbrecht didn’t learn about until the IRS scandal burst onto front pages.

“It suggests that they are trying to construct some kind of web in which to trap groups that they believe are somehow working together,” Ms. Engelbrecht said.

Enlarge Photo

The IRS‘ inspector general released a report last week that found the IRS targeted conservative groups for added scrutiny beginning in 2010, looking particularly at those that used “tea party,” “patriot” or “9/12” in their names.

The IRS acknowledges asking inappropriate questions but bristles at other charges. Acting Commissioner Steven Miller said the agency was trying to weed out groups engaging in political activity in violation of tax laws. He said the scrutiny was enhanced because of a surge of new groups after the 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case.

The IRS also said that the actions were taken by employees in an Ohio office, and that the agency has been taking steps to curtail inappropriate information requests in 2011.

But most of those claims appear to be untrue, based on the experience of True the Vote and other groups subjected to extra scrutiny.

Both Ms. Engelbrecht and True the Vote’s lawyer, Cleta Mitchell, said they had conversations with IRS agents who indicated that the files were being scrutinized in Washington, not in the Cincinnati office blamed by the IRS.

“More than one agent in Cincinnati has advised me that his/her instructions regarding the processing of my ‘tea party’ related organization client(s) were coming from the Washington, D.C., office,” Ms. Mitchell said in a letter to the IRS earlier this month.

And the probing letters continued well after the time the IRS said it began curtailing them, with the most recent inquiries to True the Vote coming in November and again in March.

Conservative target

True the Vote stemmed from Ms. Engelbrecht’s experience in the 2008 and 2009 elections, when she said she worked the polls and saw everything from administrative dysfunction to situations that looked like they could lead to fraud.

In July 2010, she and other supporters formed King Street Patriots under the tax code’s section 501(c )(4), which allows groups to do some politicking as long as it’s not their primary purpose.

Because then BO could pretend that nothing was happening and continue to do nothing.

The reliability of this source is unknown to me, but I have seen this mentioned in a couple of other places as well.

===============================

May 20th, 2013
SHTFplan.com

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 was  originally established to protect
American citizens from the federal use of  military troops to enforce and
execute the laws of the land unless expressly  authorized by the Constitution or 
Congress. Since then, for over a  century, this task has fallen upon local
and federal law enforcement. But with  the War on Terror taking center stage
in the United States for the last decade,  elements within the government
have been working tirelessly to expand the  mission of the US military on the
domestic front.

First, they passed the Patriot Act, which gave the government sweeping  new
powers to categorize any individual as a terrorist, whether they are 
operating on foreign lands or here at home. In 2011, as America brought in the 
New Year, they signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act, which 
made it possible for American citizens who were categorized as domestic 
terrorists under the Patriot Act to be detained and imprisoned indefinitely 
without charge or trial.

Finally, last week we learned that, as President Obama came under fire  for
the many scandals rocking his administration, the government was quietly 
moving to give the Department of Defense unprecedented authority on U.S.
soil,  effectively nullifying Posse Comitatus.

Eric Blair of Activist Post writes:

First, the senate is debating an expansion of the already broad powers  of
the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF) so the U.S. can 
essentially engage any area in the world in the war on terror, including  America.
Which brings us to the second development: the Pentagon has recently 
granted itself police powers on American soil.

Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Sheehan told Congress yesterday 
that the AUMF authorized the US military to operate on a worldwide battlefield 
from Boston to Pakistan.  Sheehan emphasized that the Administration is 
authorized to put boots on the ground wherever the enemy chooses to base 
themselves, essentially ignoring the declaration of war clause in the US 
Constitution.

While Americans were distracted with three developing scandals pushed  by
both wings of the mainstream media, sinister developments were taking place 
behind closed doors. In essence, the US military has granted itself the
power to  deploy troops on the streets of America without approval from the
President or  Congress, and the AUMF, which was originally designed to target
the terrorists  responsible for 9/11, has been expanded to give the government
authority to use  military assets on the domestic front without a
declaration from Congress.

Charlie McGrath of Wide Awake News explains:

Thanks to the hard work of Eric Blair at Activist Post we understand  that
Washington D.C. has been very busy eroding your freedom.

In fact, Senator Angus King went so far as to say that the hearing he  was
involved in was the most astonishing and disturbing hearing he has ever 
seen.

Even John McCain, war hawk John McCain, came out and said the  government
has gone way beyond its authority.

What are they talking about? The AUMF – Authorization to Use Military 
Force.

This piece of legislation that was put into place way back when we  started
the war on terror that is now turning from foreign enemies to YOU. Don’t 
be shocked by that, because you are on the list if you are a freedom minded, 
free thinker that believes in a Constitutional Republic.

They are changing the wording of this thing so that the military can be 
used on the streets of this country.
It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s not  some kind of a fancy fantasy that
may come true down the road.
It is  happening right now, in the guise of other news events that are not
news  events.

Even more terrifying is the fact that West Point has come out recently  and
said that you – if you have a theory that the federal government is trying 
to take over and implement a national police force – you could fall into
the  category of a domestic terrorist.

A domestic terrorist that can be dealt with by military force…

The only conspiracy here is what the government is telling us.

This legislation is real. The militarization of America is in full  force.
We are the targets.

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/its-not-a-conspiracy-theory-it-is-happ
ening-right-now_05202013
*****

 *Watchdog report says DOJ official retaliated against ‘Furious’ whistle-blower, lied about it
* (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/20/watchdog-report-says-doj-official-retaliated-against-furious-whistle-blower/#ixzz2TslkF1En)
By William La Jeunesse

Published May 20, 2013

FoxNews.com


The former U.S. Attorney for Arizona could be disbarred, after an investigation found he lied to the Justice Department about his role in trying to discredit the federal whistle-blower who exposed the botched gun-running scheme known as Fast and Furious.

An Office of Inspector General report showed that Dennis Burke -- the former chief of staff for Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed as U.S. Attorney for Arizona by President Obama in September 2009 -- lied when asked if he leaked sensitive documents to the press meant to undermine the credibility of ATF whistle-blower John Dodson.

The IG report also said Burke likely leaked the memo in retaliation for Dodson's whistle-blowing, and challenged the credibility of statements he made to congressional investigators. Dodson first went to Congress in 2010 after his own agency and the Justice Department refused to investigate his complaints that Operation Fast and Furious, an anti-gun-trafficking effort, was out of control.

"We also concluded that Burke's disclosure of the Dodson memorandum was likely motivated by a desire to undermine Dodson's public criticisms of Operation Fast and Furious. Although Burke denied to congressional investigators that he had any retaliatory motive for his actions, we found substantial evidence to the contrary," the IG report, released Monday, said.

Dodson appeared before Congress in June 2011. At the time, the Department of Justice denied his claim that the federal government approved a plan to knowingly assist criminals in smuggling thousands of guns to the Mexican drug cartels.

Dodson's credibility was crucial since nearly everyone above him denied the allegation. The report found that Burke leaked information that sought to undermine Dodson's story to a Fox News producer.

"The report brings into question, yet again, the treatment that whistle-blowers receive from this administration," Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Monday. "Instead of examining the allegations that came forward, the Justice Department almost immediately began to attack the credibility and good name of a dedicated federal agent upset with what he was ordered to do."

Burke used his private email account to leak the information to a friend in Washington who then hand-delivered the information to the Fox producer. The IG said in its report it used an "administrative subpoena" to identify the personal email of relevant Department employees to confirm the leak.

Once contacted by IG staff, Burke admitted he was the source. The IG's office had asked 150 Justice Department employees to affirm they were not the leak. 

But the report said he gave misleading information to congressional investigators. Asked about the issue by congressional investigators, Burke said: "I was under the impression that (the Dodson memo) had gone to the Hill and that I was basically giving (the Fox producer) a time advantage."

He also allegedly misled his own superior in Washington, Assistant Attorney General James Cole.

At the time, Cole had seen a New York Times story about Fast and Furious. In it, the paper published a picture which showed the document had been faxed from the U.S. attorney's office in Arizona. When confronted, the report said Burke told Cole, "I don't think we have a fax machine."

The IG report claims Burke was "admonished by Deputy Attorney General Cole for lying to him ... and had been put on notice such disclosures should not occur."

After speaking with Burke, Cole wrote "another horrible incident of bad judgment." The following day, Aug. 13, Burke resigned.

Fox News tried unsuccessfully to contact Burke, who recently formed a security and lobbying firm with former Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano's Chief of Staff Noah Kroloff.

The Office of Inspector General is an investigative arm that monitors the Justice Department. It tried to interview Burke, but he resigned.

The IG said Burke violated numerous federal and professional rules of conduct and it would forward a copy of its report to the Arizona State Bar Association for disciplinary conduct.

This is a fu%#ing cool article:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/twin-primes/?cid=8136734

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/20/obama-doj-james-rosen-criminality

From the article:
But what makes this revelation particularly disturbing is that the DOJ, in order to get this search warrant, insisted that not only Kim, but also Rosen - the journalist - committed serious crimes. The DOJ specifically argued that by encouraging his source to disclose classified information - something investigative journalists do every day - Rosen himself broke the law.


 

The most telling paragraph from the article:

The Obama administration had bet that “naming and shaming” the groups, first in industry reports and then in the Pentagon’s own detailed survey of Chinese military capabilities, might prompt China’s new leadership to crack down on the military’s highly organized team of hackers — or at least urge them to become more subtle.


From BD: It is unclear to me why a more subtle cyberattack from China is better.

IMHO, this issue is much ado about nothing. The military is not going to issue this type of directive without executive and congressional oversight. The directive (see pages 15-16, primarily) includes limits that are in accord with PCA and longstanding law and custom in the US. GM may have more to say in the discussion on military/law enforcement relationship. I'd love his take here.