IG Report: IRS Lying to American Public, Illegally Conclealing Requested FOIA Information
Via Redstate:
As the Washington Examiner reports:
A review of the Internal Revenue Service’s compliance with the Freedom of Information Act found the agency intentionally withheld or failed to “adequately search” for requested information in hundreds of cases.
In others, the IRS released more than it was authorized, dispensing “sensitive taxpayer information,” including individuals’ bank records.
Many of the FOIA requests centered around, you guessed it, the IRS targeting scandal.
The cover-up is stunning. “The IRS concealed information it should have released in response to an estimated 336 requests in 2013, according to the report.”
In response to a report (from the same IG’s office) detailing the IRS targeting scandal, the American public demanded to know the truth. The American people sent in numerous FOIA requests, and the IRS concealed pertinent information at least 336 times.
If that’s not a cover-up I don’t know what is.
In addition, we know that the IRS was in the process of covering up the IRS targeting while it was going on. In at least one instance, back in 2010-2011, the height of the targeting scandal and just before IRS computers started mysteriously crashing, the IRS denied there were any responsive documents at the IRS regarding the “Tea Party” in response to a FOIA request. That was another flat out lie.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request is the American public’s avenue to get the truth, to provide sunlight and oversight on the federal government. When the government conceals information in a FOIA request is essentially lying to the American public at large.