Douglas Shulman, former head of IRS, hearts Obama
They’re got to stop meeting like this:
Publicly released records show that embattled former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman visited the White House at least 157 times during the Obama administration, more recorded visits than even the most trusted members of the president’s Cabinet.
Shulman’s extensive access to the White House first came to light during his testimony last week before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Shulman gave assorted answers when asked why he had visited the White House 118 times during the period that the IRS was targeting tea party and conservative nonprofits for extra scrutiny and delays on their tax-exempt applications.
By contrast, Shulman’s predecessor Mark Everson only visited the White House once during four years of service in the George W. Bush administration and compared the IRS’s remoteness from the president to “Siberia.” But the scope of Shulman’s White House visits ”” which strongly suggests coordination by White House officials in the campaign against the president’s political opponents ”” is even more striking in comparison to the publicly recorded access of Cabinet members.
So far, neither the White House nor Shulman have even tried to offer an explanation that might make sense. The one Shulman voiced earlier was merely risible:
“Um, the Easter Egg Roll with my kids,” Shulman replied. “Questions about the administrability of tax policy they were thinking of; our budget; us helping the Department of Education streamline application processes for financial aid.”
A more logical explanation would be to coordinate the IRS implementation of the Obamacare penalty, but funny thing, that’s not what Shulman said, so it makes it a bit hard to offer it as a reason now. In addition, it’s difficult if not impossible to see how that would necessitate so very many visits, and what’s more the bulk of them would have had to have occurred after Obamacare was passed rather than before (we don’t know whether that’s the case or not, but my guess is that it was not).
So, what is it? Have Shulman and Obama become drinking buddies? Was Shulman running an interior decorating business on the side, and had to visit to measure the drapes and suchlike? Inquiring minds would love to know, but somehow I don’t think we’re ever going to get the story.
That’s the sort of cocky, wiseass remark I’d expect to hear from a mobster.
rickl:
Makes me think of this:
That’s a lot of visits. I mean a lot a lot. Which made me wonder who he was visiting. I doubt that anyone on the Obama team would have reason, need or desire to meet with him that often, even if they were in cahoots on something political. It’s just excessive.
So that’s why I’m wondering if he has/had a secret girlfriend there. I can picture him going over there for lunch once a week to spend time with his lady on the side. That would make some sense.
He was amazingly snarky and petulant during his testimony. One of the most startling displays I’ve ever seen — that Easter Egg roll response was downright sarcastic. Whatever he was doing on all those visits, he’s pretty darned sure he was entitled to do it.
kcom…
He has a boyfriend there.
The sole and only reason in this day and age of digital communications is to get communications — from the top — that are not digitized.
That is all.
Anyone lesser than the President would’ve been making the pilgrimage to the IRS building — or anywhere else but the Pink House.
Unless you were born yesterday, it’s been obvious from the get-go that Buraq has been running this operation. HE was the one to drop the dime — on himself — ANYTHING to get Benghazi off the front page. IT’S WORKING.
kcom:
I thought the same thing (girlfriend or boyfriend). That many visits — averaging well over three times each month — suggests some kind of close personal relationship with someone at the WH.
And if he has kids, that probably means he has a wife. Which could explain his behavior at the hearing. The best defense is a good offense. It would be hard for him to sit up there and tell them about his secret girlfriend with his wife watching.
“I don’t think we’re ever going to get the story.”
Nor I suspect does anyone else. Fortunately, the real story isn’t needed. Recalling Shulman to testify under oath as to all those visits puts him between a rock and a hard place. If he testifies, he either throws Obama under the bus or he commits perjury. Or he takes the fifth. All of those scenarios will deeply hurt Obama in the court of public opinion because they expose him to further justified and profound doubts.
No one, not even the most staunch defender is actually going to believe that Shulman’s visits were legitimate.
Some will of course continue to defend Obama but because the sheer number of visits by Shulman are so damning, their arguments will be unpersuasive. Just exposing the number of Shulman’s visits, on national TV creates severe problems for the WH.
All of this is of value because at the very least it has the potential to turn Obama into a lame duck Pres. much earlier than otherwise and on the political front, stall the left’s agenda.
Let’s hope so. What I’m afraid of is the Democrats regaining the House at the next election and having a two year lame duck session. The two month version at the end of 2010 was scary enough. With all restraints removed, think of what might happen.
kcom,
That is the most immediate danger. All of this however makes it increasingly unlikely that the dems will be able to recapture the House.
Maybe Obama is missing his “Body Man” that “Love” guy. And yea, maybe a few strategy sessions.
How about Shulman was hand delivering the materials that those “rogue” agents were requesting from the Tea Party/conservative groups: employee & family lists, parishioner lists, copies of training materials, etc. This would ensure that there was no electronic paper trail (incriminating emails with attachments). Since there was also collusion amongst other federal agencies (such as FBI, OSHA, ATF, etc. in the True the Vote/Engelbrecht case) that would indicate that someone would have been coordinating all of these activities, which seem more likely to have taken place at the White House than the IRS.
I still think the IRS was helping Obama’s re-election team with opposition research in addition to plain old harassment.
Lizzy said, “I still think the IRS was helping Obama’s re-election team with opposition research in addition to plain old harassment.”
Opposition research. Yes. How did some of team Obama get tax information about the Koch brothers? Why did they select certain people for harassment? Why did Harry Reid think he could make definitive statements about Romney’s tax returns? The reason: The IRS was supplying the information to the WH for them to use as they saw fit. Excellent deduction, Lizzy.