Rep. Cummings' Mouth Needs to Be Closed

Cummings keeps coming up short
against IRS allegations

"This case is solved." — Rep. Elijah Cummings

The IRS targeted conservative groups, according to a rising number of allegations, and especially during the 2012 election.

The FBI began investigating these invasive measures.

Key words like "Tea Party" singled out groups for further scrutiny.

There is plenty to fear from a growing government which seeks to silence individuals and private interest groups

Other reports have highlighted that IRS officials were demanding to know the contents of certain groups prayers, then withholding their taxation status.

The fact these incrimination occurred during the 2012 President election is especially disconcerting.

Now, Cummings has called out IRS wasteful spending before.

However, Cummings has stepped in the way of Oversight Committee investigations before.

While Chairman Darrell Issa was trying to get information on Operation Fast and Furious, the Assistant Attorney General Robert Welch offered nothing but plain papers covered in black ink.
After Issa demanded answers, Cummings attempt to apologize for the Committee. Issa rebuked his arrogant effort, and forced him to rephrase.

The House Oversight Committee has discovered one scandal after another from Fast and Furious to Benghazi, to IRS intimidation.

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pennsylvania) expressed the concerns of more Americans, who already fear the IRS, and the resigning official shrugged instead of evincing any outrage. Instead of sharing the concerns of the American taxpayers, Elijah Cummings wants to diminish the seriousness of this investigation outright.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) stood up to Cummings, and called him out for trying to end this investigation:

"If we did what the ranking member wanted us to do, this thing would be over. 'Nothing here. Don't do it.'"

Chaffetz then pointed out that during the hearing, the spokesperson for the President identified rogue gents involved, yet she had no power to stop them.

"When the ranking member suggested on national television and said that this case should be closed. That's wrong!

Cummings wanted to respond, arguing that Chaffetz was playing off mere talking points. The young Congressman fired back:

"To suggest that there just talking points, these are not just talking points."

In January this year, Cummings tried to tie up one IRS Commissioner, pushing the notion that his story about a list of targeted groups was or was not serious.

Later, Cummings slammed True the Vote in February this year, claiming that the non-partisan group was targeting minority communities in order to discourage their vote.

Cummings will stop at nothing to discredit anyone who is calling out the IRS scandal.

True the Vote's representative Katherine Engelbrecht responded effectively that her organization trains vote watching, but does not send individuals to different polling stations.

Despite True the Vote's intentions and actions, Cummings was playing the race card in a hollow attempt to smear her and other citizens complaining about the unethical targeting conducted by the IRS.

Then Engelbrecht fought back, and filed a formal ethical complaint against Cummings. She indicted the Congressman for sending three letters, claiming that he was launching an investigation into the interest group. Cummings never contacted her, yet pushed a defame-campaign to try and stop her.

Just this past week, Chairman Darrell Issa wanted information from the head of the IRS Division which was targeting conservative groups. Following her counsel's office, Lois Lerner plead the Fifth Amendment.

For the record, she has done this before. In this hearing, Committee member Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) slammed her for making assertions that she did nothing wrong, then plead the Fifth when under cross examination. She could have remained silent, but she needed to say nothing from both sides.

Now back to last week.

Lerner declined to answer any questions. The Chairman recognized that the Committee would get not information

"I have no expectation that Ms. Lerner will cooperate with this committee," Issa observed.

The Committee was adjourned, but Cummings kept it coming.

"I have a statement. I have a procedural question."

Either he has a statement or a question. He tried to grandstand to the cameras, but Issa cut off the mike.

His outrageous display was disgraceful.

Cummings then began scolding the Chairman, that brokering and adjournment was wrong, that "we are better than that as a country." Issa was willing to grant him time, but he insisted on arguing instead of asking a question.

He then clamored "I am tired of this! You cannot have this one-sided investigation."

This outburst came from the Congressman who had declared that "this case is closed." This coming from a Congressman who laments all the money that is lost every year, that his constituents do not even make $50,000 a year, yet witness tens of thousands wasted in IRS follies. This coming from a Congressman who then claims that there is no scandal, no crime, no fraud, no political intimidation when the IRS demands specifics from non-profits, predominantly conservative, who are seeking exemption status.

Congressman Cummings' mouth needs to be closed, because the IRS-gate case is far from closed.