Priorities

So, the President asked for the resignation of the acting IRS Commissioner last night, in what will be probably be a futile attempt to extinguish the "IRS Scandal" that conservatives are calling worse than Watergate and which consists of two dipshits in Cincinnati giving extra scrutiny to applications for charitable designations from Tea Party groups and then approving their applications, anyway.

[This first part of the full transcript is not on the video] Good afternoon, everybody. I just finished speaking with Secretary Lew and senior officials at the Treasury Department to discuss the investigation into IRS personnel who improperly screened conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. And I look forward to taking some questions at tomorrow's press conference, but today, I wanted to make sure to get out to all of you some information about what we're doing about this, and where we go from here.

[Video starts here] I've reviewed the Treasury Department watchdog's report, and the misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable. It's inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but especially in the IRS, given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives. And as I said earlier, it should not matter what political stripe you're from — the fact of the matter is, is that the IRS has to operate with absolute integrity. The government generally has to conduct itself in a way that is true to the public trust. That's especially true for the IRS.

So here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to hold the responsible parties accountable. Yesterday, I directed Secretary Lew to follow up on the IG audit to see how this happened and who is responsible, and to make sure that we understand all the facts. Today, Secretary Lew took the first step by requesting and accepting the resignation of the acting commissioner of the IRS, because given the controversy surrounding this audit, it's important to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward.

Second, we're going to put in place new safeguards to make sure this kind of behavior cannot happen again. And I've directed Secretary Lew to ensure the IRS begins implementing the IG's recommendations right away.

Third, we will work with Congress as it performs its oversight role. And our administration has to make sure that we are working hand in hand with Congress to get this thing fixed.

[Video ends there; the full transcript continues] Congress, Democrats and Republicans, owe it to the American people to treat that authority with the responsibility it deserves and in a way that doesn't smack of politics or partisan agendas. Because I think one thing that you've seen is, across the board, everybody believes what happened in — as reported in the IG report is an outrage. The good news is it's fixable, and it's in everyone's best interest to work together to fix it.

I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this happens again by holding the responsible parties accountable, by putting in place new checks and new safeguards, and going forward, by making sure that the law is applied as it should be — in a fair and impartial way. And we're going to have to make sure that the laws are clear so that we can have confidence that they are enforced in a fair and impartial way, and that there's not too much ambiguity surrounding these laws.

So that's what I expect. That's what the American people deserve. And that's what we're going to do.

Thank you very much.

I'm still not convinced I find giving extra scrutiny to certain groups (and apparently some liberal groups got extra scrutiny, too) before approving their applications particularly scandalous, but, okay, so shitcan the people who were doing it and move the fuck on. That would be the reasonable thing to do. But, instead, conservatives, with the helpful assistance of our bored garbage media, have tried to turn this into an "impeachment-level event."

The same assholes who totes believed that President Bush had NO IDEA that someone in the goddamned White House had outed Valerie Plame, and had NO INVOLVEMENT in outing (and endangering the life of) a covert operative in order to get back at her husband for being critical of the administration, now believe that President Obama is personally aware of every action of every IRS staffer in every field office. PERFECT.

Meanwhile, it's a national scandal that some conservative groups got extra scrutiny of an application that was approved, and we're just gonna need to talk about this FOREVER to make sure it NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN, because it is AN OUTRAGE, but let's diligently ignore the national campaign of anti-choice terrorism, and the rolling back of women's basic rights of agency and bodily autonomy, and the gun violence devastating black communities, and the rising number of hate crimes against Muslims and Latin@s, and the rising number of violent hate groups who target multiple marginalized populations, and on and on and on.

Violent fucking oppression.

Where are the Republican Congressional hearings about that? Where are the presidential statements about that? No political capital in being outraged about violent fucking oppression. Not like there is in grinding the government to a halt over partisan bullshit in an IRS field office.

Priorities. This country has them.