Scandal: DOJ Caught Spying on AP Reporters, Tea Party Gets Audited

This has been a rough week for the Obama administration. After new revelations emerged regarding the Benghazi disaster, additional scandals burst forth in a sudden cluster. First off, the IRS just admitted to discriminating against conservative and Tea Party oriented groups when considering organizations for tax exempt status. The FBI is now investigating this as a possible crime.

Additionally, the Department of Justice was caught sifting through Associated Press reporters’ personal phone records, allegedly while trying to determine which administration official leaked info about a “foiled Yemeni terror plot.” AP reporters are understandably furious, as the administration seems to have crossed the line from showing favoritism to certain media outlets that provide favorable coverage all the way to full-blown intimidation of journalists over their reporting. Given all this plus the Obama team’s rough handling of whistle-blowers, one wonders what happened to the promise of the “most transparent administration in history”?

When Messaging Becomes Propaganda

The Obama administration grants access to media outlets that provide positive coverage of the presidency. In an attempt to supplicate for favoritism, MSNBC sometimes comes across more like a public relations service for the White House than an unbiased news organization. Throughout different points in Obama’s presidency, the acting presidents of ABC, CBS, and CNN have had close familial or marital ties to high-ranking administration officials. With these types of shenanigans going on, it’s obvious that transparency comes second to messaging in the eyes of officials at the executive branch.

However, spying on reporters represents a significant escalation from a narrow messaging strategy to a full-blown attempt at deceiving the public. If the administration fears its officials might be leaking crucial information, it should probably focus more on reforming its own hiring practices, rather than stealing and reading the private communications of reporters. Journalists now fear that they might be investigated if they provide neutral reporting on the government. This has the effect of chilling free speech.

Tax Audits for Political Reasons

Similarly, the IRS was caught over-analyzing tax exempt applications that come from conservative and Tea Party groups in an effort to deny them at higher rates than groups with other political affiliations. This violates the concept of equal protection under the law, intimidates activists in a way that chills free speech, and seems to be a part of a broader incremental effort to criminalize activism against the executive branch.

The IRS has since apologized, but the damage has been done. Some people who attempted to form groups were harassed for additional rounds of info until they gave up trying. It’s worth noting that only personal and corporate income taxes require this type of extraordinary record-keeping and reporting. Sales taxes, for example, could be collected without any individual filing any personal information with a government bureau. It’s important to consider how tax collection also sometimes compromises personal information.

To be fair, Obama himself is treating the IRS and DOJ foul-ups as possible errors worthy of pink slips for lower-level officials. Expect to see one of two events in the near term: Obama will either fire a few people found responsible in the IRS, DOJ, and Benghazi scandals or impeachment proceedings will probably begin soon in the GOP controlled House of Representatives.

Find out where you can see Silver Circle by checking our theater and special screening schedule on  -->our event page -->.