Chuck's stock tanks
I've been giving Chuck Rettig, the commissioner of internal revenue under Trump, the benefit of the doubt all along. He seemed like a decent guy.
When the IRS refused to turn over Orange Caligula's tax returns to Congress, I assumed Chuck was acting under orders of his boss, the Treasury secretary, Mnoochie. Besides, although the law seemed pretty clear, I reasoned that the request raised an important issue that should be decided by the judicial branch.
Then when two ex-FBI directors whom the White House didn't like were dragged in for burdensome compliance audits, and Chuck said it was a coincidence, I believed him.
But yesterday it was revealed that the IRS, which old Chuck ran until last month, violated its own rules and didn't audit Trump when it was required. And when it did audit him, it did a half-assed job.
“I’m absolutely flabbergasted,” said Nina E. Olson, the national taxpayer advocate from 2001 to 2019. “It’s disturbing. You have a process where you’re auditing the president, you better be auditing the president.”
No kidding. Either Chuck was calling these shots, or people under him were acting up and he let it go.
Either way, that's the end for me and old Chuck. The burden of proving to me that he wasn't a total creep now shifts to him.
That's exactly what I was thinking when the news came out. After that whole kerfluffle about how it was just a pure coincidence that James Comey was audited, after repeated reports that Trump tried to use the IRS to punish enemies, makes you wonder either does the fish rot from the head, or that Trump and his crew did a better job of filling IRS offices with sycophants than we thought.
ReplyDeleteInteresting news cycle.
ReplyDeleteThe rich don't pay taxes, so all of this is just theater. Trump (the shiny object)- look over here people at that shiny thing. There is one obvious error in the article- it incorrectly listed Wyden as a Senator from Oregon instead of New York:
ReplyDeleteSenator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, on Wednesday called the House panel’s findings a “blockbuster” that required further attention.
I cut a six figure check every quarter for my taxes. I can’t wait until I’m “rich” by your standards to not pay taxes.
DeleteFor the far left, the only news that’s fit to print is in the Times
ReplyDeleteSquirrel!
DeleteSince you don’t like the Times, here’s the Post - unlocked so you can get back to the real topic — the IRS courtiers assuming that Drumpenfuhrer would “win” a second time and there wouldn’t be a day of reckoning.
Opinions | Why did the IRS drop the ball on Trump’s tax audits?
The agency seemed timid in monitoring for the former president. Why?
Opinion by Catherine Rampell
https://wapo.st/3vaz6dZ
If it is true that Rettig did what you say, he will never pay a price for it. It will be whitewashed "for the good of the country". Whatever the hell that means.
ReplyDelete