The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Ted Cruz: Media Acting as ‘Palace Guard’ to Protect Obama in IRS Scandal UPDATE: Tom Perez Fails to Provide Information on Bosserman’s Appointment

Posted on | January 29, 2014 | 28 Comments

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday the media have failed to do their job by demanding answers in the Internal Revenue Service scandal.

“The media should hold the administration accountable,” Cruz said. Instead of acting as watchdogs, however, the media are acting as a “palace guard” protecting President Obama from scrutiny, the conservative Republican told bloggers during a conference call.

Cruz’s comments came after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which he questioned Attorney General Eric Holder about the Justice Department’s investigation of the IRS scandal. In wake of reports that the investigation is being led by Barbara Bosserman, who donated thousands of dollars to Obama’s presidential campaigns, Cruz asked Holder: “I would call upon you to carry out the tradition of independence that attorneys general have honored that office with for centuries and protect the integrity of the Department of Justice, given the political sensitivities, given the fact that individual citizens believe they are being persecuted by the Department of Justice for partisan reasons. It would further Justice and further the integrity of the Department of Justice for you to appoint a special prosecutor with a meaningful degree of independence to investigate and find out what happened, and I would suggest that any special prosecutor should have integrity beyond reproach, and not be a major Obama donor.”

Holder answered: “I don’t think that there is a basis for us to conclude on the information as it presently exists that there is any reason for the appointment of the independent counsel. … The notion that somehow this has caused a loss of faith in this Justice Department is inconsistent with the facts.”

Holder said: “I don’t have any basis to believe that the people who engaged in this investigation are doing so in a way other than investigations are normally done. That is by looking at the facts, applying the law to those facts, and reaching the appropriate conclusion. I don’t have any basis to believe anything other than that is occurring.”

Sen. Cruz responded, “I would say a lot of American citizens have a basis to believe it, given 282 days have passed and no on has been indicted, 280 days have passed and many, if not all, of the victims have not even been interviewed. 280 days have passed and apparently the anger and outrage that both the President and you expressed has utterly disappeared. Indeed, in last night’s State of the Union address the President did not so much as mention the word ‘IRS.’ So the anger and outrage sees very little manifestation in actual action.”

Speaking to bloggers after Wednesday’s hearing, Cruz said “Holder accepted no accountability,” and said the Justice Department “has done absolutely nothing” in its investigation of the IRS scandal, which Cruz described as “abuse of power and lawlessness.”

UPDATE: In related news, on Jan. 14, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Labor Secretary Tom Perez, who in his previous job as an assistant attorney general was Barbara Bosserman’s boss at the Justice Department until July 2013.

In their letter, Issa and Jordan asked Perez to provide documents related to Bosserman’s appointment to lead the IRS investigation: “Please supply this information as soon as possible, but no later than 5:00 p.m. on January 28, 2014.”

Just checked with a source at the Oversight Committee, who reports that Perez failed to comply with Issa and Jordan’s request.

 

Comments

28 Responses to “Ted Cruz: Media Acting as ‘Palace Guard’ to Protect Obama in IRS Scandal UPDATE: Tom Perez Fails to Provide Information on Bosserman’s Appointment”

  1. Shawny1
    January 29th, 2014 @ 6:21 pm

    Trey Gowdy Demands Answers……from media. Damn he’s good!!!

  2. DaveO
    January 29th, 2014 @ 6:33 pm

    Are AG Holder’s crimes pardonable? Is the Presidential Pardon worth honoring, considering the Rule of Law has been completely undermined by this attorney?

  3. Ted Cruz Media acting palace guard protect Obama IRS scandal
    January 29th, 2014 @ 7:17 pm

    […] in order to protect Obama in the IRS scandal. I’ve got a little news for Ted Cruz. The media is acting as a palace guard to protect Obama for everything unlawful and corrupt in his regime. The IRS, NSA, Eric Holder, gun […]

  4. Ted Cruz: Media act as “palace guard” for White House and Obama on IRS scandal | Batshit Crazy News
    January 29th, 2014 @ 8:05 pm

    […] TOM: Media Acting as “Palace Guard” to Protect Obama… […]

  5. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    January 29th, 2014 @ 8:06 pm
  6. Bob Belvedere
    January 29th, 2014 @ 8:34 pm

    And Issa will do…NOTHING.

  7. Zohydro
    January 29th, 2014 @ 8:47 pm
  8. Cruz: Media Should Stop Acting As Watchdog For Obama On IRS Scandal | The Lonely Conservative
    January 29th, 2014 @ 9:45 pm

    […] Ted Crux said that the media has failed to do its job investigating the IRS scandal. Stacy McCain reports that Cruz told a group of bloggers during a conference call (which I missed because my flight to DC […]

  9. Political Rift » Cruz: Media Should Stop Acting As Watchdog For Obama On IRS Scandal
    January 29th, 2014 @ 10:05 pm

    […] Ted Crux said that the media has failed to do its job investigating the IRS scandal. Stacy McCain reports that Cruz told a group of bloggers during a conference call (which I missed because my flight to DC […]

  10. Evi L. Bloggerlady
    January 30th, 2014 @ 9:12 am

    It was seven years after his high school days with Obama, so while obviously real it is (I suspect) not significant or connected to Obama.

  11. jakee308
    January 30th, 2014 @ 9:16 am

    Either the House CAN’T do anything or the House WON’T do anything. Either way the result is the same.

    While his Partner in Crime, Obama, destroys the Nation financially and overseas, Holder has been destroying the Justice system in the Nation.

    Under no other Attorney General have so many been ignored or excused for their crime. No one has been held accountable except those of a certain political ideology and no criminals actions have been taken against any nationally known suspect.

    He has lied repeatedly to House Investigations. He has made his incompetence and disrespect for the Law and the Justice system and Department visible for all to see.

    Yet he remains in his position.

    This isn’t just a failure by the House, it’s a failure my the Nation to put this criminal on trial and remove him from power.

    We have only ourselves to blame for the results.

  12. Lemuel Vargas
    January 30th, 2014 @ 9:59 am

    The reason why the Benghazi affair will go nowhere is that the head of the DOJ, and thus the Atty. Gen. is Eric Holder, an Obama sycophant.

  13. FUBHO
    January 30th, 2014 @ 10:50 am

    Ted Cruz: Media Acting as ‘Palace Guard’ to Protect Obama in IRS Scandal

    From the article: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday the media have failed to do their job by demanding answers in the Internal Revenue Service scandal. “The media should hold the administration accountable,” Cruz said. Instead of acting as watchdog

  14. Quartermaster
    January 30th, 2014 @ 1:05 pm

    I doubt there is much he could do. Look at who would be responsible for the prosecutions. Sad, but the way it is.

  15. K-Bob
    January 30th, 2014 @ 4:54 pm

    I see Issa is cracking the whip to move from Geologic Age speed to Continental Drift speed. At this rate, he’ll make it to Glacial Speed in no time.

    Mark Levin had an interesting proposal on how the House should deal with barack the Imperator.

    I wonder how Cruz would feel about encouraging this resolution?

    (Also how you folks feel about it.)

  16. Bob Belvedere
    January 30th, 2014 @ 9:20 pm

    THIS.

  17. Bob Belvedere
    January 30th, 2014 @ 9:21 pm

    It’s worth a shot, but would only work if the GOP Leadership has reversal surgery on it’s Spinal Bypass operation.

  18. Adjoran
    January 31st, 2014 @ 3:04 am

    Just so, all criminal referrals out of Congress go to DOJ. But Holder’s already been held in contempt with no consequences, so why would he act?

  19. K-Bob
    January 31st, 2014 @ 3:05 am

    Thanks for reminding me to tell you that your Steyn Article got me up to speed on that subject. I shall be paying more attention there.

    F.N.R.O.

  20. Adjoran
    January 31st, 2014 @ 3:06 am

    You mean a failure to impeach Holder?

  21. Adjoran
    January 31st, 2014 @ 3:13 am

    So we cancel Obama’s unconstitutional acts by acting unconstitutionally ourselves? And what then, assume the courts agree with us in the duel of abuse of powers?

    The House has no authority to levy fines on the President or his agents. Congress can reverse any of his actions by passing legislation and overriding vetoes, which won’t happen with this many Democrats in Congress. Elections matter.

    PLUS Obama will issue blanket pardons to himself and anyone in his Administration when he leaves office, I would bet on it. And that is a clear and inviolate power of the President.

  22. Adjoran
    January 31st, 2014 @ 3:15 am

    Maybe I’m slow today, but someone needs to explain to me specifically just how this idea might succeed.

    Obama ignores federal laws and the Constitution, but a Resolution from the House alone is going to suddenly bring him to heel?

  23. Adjoran
    January 31st, 2014 @ 3:36 am

    I salute Senator Cruz for noticing the media is covering for Obama. The rest of the sentient universe understood that by late 2007 or early 2008, but he went to Harvard so he must be really smart like Obama.

    Under our system, the House can only find uncooperative witnesses in contempt but that, like any other criminal case, must be referred to Justice for prosecution. (There is a House Jail where a witness could be held in contempt while the House remains in session, but that hasn’t been used in a very long time, if ever).

  24. Zohydro
    January 31st, 2014 @ 5:52 am

    Isn’t the “House Jail” really just an empty crypt (meant for George Washington)?

  25. Quartermaster
    January 31st, 2014 @ 6:16 am

    My point exactly.

  26. K-Bob
    January 31st, 2014 @ 11:22 am

    “So we cancel Obama’s unconstitutional acts by acting unconstitutionally ourselves?”

    I’m not sure what prompted that loaded question. You can’t actually believe that nullification is unconstitutional, can you?

    Show me the language where nullification is somehow forbidden by the Constitution.

    Your assertion about levying fines is going to come as a huge surprise to all the people who’ve been hauled into Congress and shaken down over the years.

  27. K-Bob
    January 31st, 2014 @ 12:38 pm

    One might as well ask how Marbury v. Madison succeeded.

    Or for that matter, how barack succeeded in his nullification of the Constitution.

    So far, the only thing Republicans have proven is that doing nothing is a very bad idea.

  28. Another IRS Stonewall : The Other McCain
    February 3rd, 2014 @ 7:41 pm

    […] Jan. 29: Ted Cruz: Media Acting as ‘Palace Guard’ to Protect Obama in IRS Scandal UPDATE: Tom Perez Fails… […]