Friday’s IRS Congressional hearings have made three things abundantly clear. First, Democrats and the IRS believe they can convince the American people that the singling out of conservative groups for audits, leaks, and Kafka-esque like “questionnaires” was just a wild coincidence that had nothing to do with partisan politics. Second, Democrats and the IRS want us to believe that low-level staffers came up with thick packets that contained dozens of intrusive, un-American questions, all on their own.

Neither of those are going to fly with the American people, however, even if the media assumes their natural position (bent over) and decides to  strap wings, a rocket engine, and Superman’s cape to them.

The third thing, though, is by far the most troubling and was spelled out perfectly by NBC’s Lisa Meyers Friday morning on “Morning Joe.” From everything she knew before the hearings and what we are learning from them today, it looks as though, at the very least, the IRS knew of this scandal prior to the 2012 election and deliberately covered it up until afterward:

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Transcript via The Weekly Standard:

The IRS commissioner “has known for at least a year that this was going on,” said Myers, “and that this had happened. And did he share any of that information with the White House? But even more importantly, Congress is going to ask him, why did you mislead us for an entire year? Members of Congress were saying conservatives are being targeted. What’s going on here? The IRS denied it. Then when — after these officials are briefed by the IG that this is going on, they don’t disclose it. In fact, the commissioner sent a letter to Congress in September on this subject and did not reveal this. Imagine if we — if you can — what would have happened if this fact came out in September 2012, in the middle of a presidential election? The terrain would have looked very different.”

Thursday, when asked a direct question about when or whom in the White House knew about the IRS scandal, Barack Obama dodged the question: “I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG [Inspector General] report before the IG report had been leaked to the press,” said Obama to the reporter who had not inquired about the Inspector General report. 

I should add a fourth thing: Apparently we are also supposed to believe that it is just a wild coincidence that the same woman, Sarah Hall Ingram, who oversaw the IRS department where all this harassment of conservatives occurred, just happens to be the same woman who was promoted within the IRS to enforce ObamaCare.

By the way, Ingram was promoted by IRS acting commissioner Steven T. Miller, who himself was appointed by Barack Obama.

 

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC