Widgetized Section
Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone
Mitch McConnell Crashes and Burns When Pressed for Evidence of Obama Scandal
When asked for evidence of Obama’s role in the IRS scandal, Mitch McConnell crashed and burned by babbling on about a culture of intimidation with no supporting proof.
Video:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Transcript from NBC News:
GREGORY: Let me get right to it and start on the IRS. Why don’t you accept the word from not only White House officials but from former acting commissioner who said, these were foolish mistakes about targeting con– conservative groups, but there is not evidence of a political agenda?
SEN. MCCONNELL: Actually, there is a culture of intimidation throughout the administration. The IRS is just the most recent example. Let me just recount a few for your audience. Over at HHS, back during the Obamacare debate, Secretary Sebelius sent out a directive to health insurance companies telling them they couldn’t inform their policyholders of what they thought the impact of Obamacare would be on them. Now she’s trying to shake them down for contributions in effect to a group to go out and try to convince the public that they should love Obamacare. Over at the FCC, there have been efforts by Obama appointees to– to shut down or make difficult people who are seeking to buy advertising to criticize the administration. Over at the SEC, the Obama appointees have been engaged in an effort to make it difficult for corporations to exercise their First Amendment, political rights. The IRS– coming back to the IRS. The head of the union at the IRS gives 99 percent of her campaign money to Democrats. She openly criticizes the Republican House for trying to reduce government spending and has specifically targeted Tea Party groups in her public comments. It’s no wonder that the agents and the IRS sort of get the message. The president demonizes his opponent. The head of their union demonizes the people…
GREGORY: But Senator, that– that was a leap…
SEN. MCCONNELL: …who think that…
GREGORY: …that’s a leap that can you make as argument, but you don’t have fact to back it up. You can create and I just asked…
SEN. MCCONNELL: Well, the investigation…
GREGORY: …I asked Dan Pfeiffer about it. You can you talk about a culture. Do you have any evidence that the President of the United States directed what you call a culture of intimidation at the IRS to target political opponents?
SEN. MCCONNELL: I– I don’t think we know what the facts are. All I can tell you is…
GREGORY: But that hasn’t stopped you from– from accusing.
SEN. MCCONNELL: Well, what we’re talking about here is an– an attitude that the government knows best, the nanny state is here to tell us all what to do and if we start criticizing, you get targeted.
Basically, Sen. McConnell admitted that Republicans don’t have any evidence to back up their IRS allegations. They are investigating an Obama connection to the IRS scandal because they are falsely attributing some beliefs to him that he does not hold.
McConnell’s culture of intimidation talking point was supposed to act as justification for all of the congressional investigations.
Minority Leader McConnell never thought that David Gregory would ask him for evidence to back up his accusations. McConnell’s claim about Obamacare was a lie. The directive was sent out because insurance companies were sending their Medicare customers confusing and deceptive mailings designed to whip up opposition to Obamacare. His claim about the FCC was based on an attempt by the commission to require local stations to post online the names of those who purchase television campaign ads. Mitch McConnell views openness and transparency as part of Obama’s culture of intimidation.
McConnell’s complaint about the SEC also involved Citizens United. The SEC is considering a disclosure rule that would require publicly traded companies report to shareholders all of their political donations. According to McConnell, trying to stop billionaires from secretly buying our government is Obama intimidation.
Republicans have been screaming about an Obama culture of corruption since the president took office, but when asked to prove their allegations, they offer zilch. Without even realizing it McConnell proved that all of these “Obama scandals” are nothing more than political fishing trips. Congressional Republicans are hoping to find something to confirm their conspiracies about this president.
The truth is that outside of Obama hate, Mitch McConnell’s got nothing.
Related Posts :
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was on Meet The Press today, and he came right out of ...
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was on Meet The Press today where he managed to take the rhetor ...
Finding out the identity of the 47% videographer was nice, but Scott Prouty's real contribution is that ...
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell was NBC’s Meet The Press today, where he argued that their aren’t r ...
The Obama White House rebuked the war on terror by confirming that Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Ts ...
26 Responses to Mitch McConnell Crashes and Burns When Pressed for Evidence of Obama Scandal
Leave a Reply
Public Service Advertisements
Linda1961
May. 19th, 2013 at 4:51 pm
At least Gregory asked McConnell to back up his claims, but it bothers me that the MSM is ignoring the fact that liberal groups have be targeted by the IRS. Why only outrage over teabagger groups?
FastMovingCloud
May. 20th, 2013 at 8:18 pm
I can’t believe it!!! Gregory sounded very similar to a journalist here. He even asked follow up questions, sort of, and called McConnell out.
Shocked, I tell ya’! Shocked!!!
Shiva
May. 20th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
LOL
It was a Gregory clone!
Allyson Harris
May. 20th, 2013 at 11:12 pm
It’s rather obvious, isn’t it? If a governmental institution goes after liberals, the conservatives are fine with it. But woe to those who go after THEM. THEN it’s not okay at all! The thing is, except for their rather proudly ignorant base, most people are starting to realize that everything with the right is a double standard – it’s okay for them to do things, but it’s not okay if the left side of the aisle does the exact same thing. Even children understand that it’s not fair if one kid gets away with everything, and another kid gets away with nothing.
Frank
May. 19th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
“culture of intimidation” — that’s pretty ironic coming from GOP leadership, the people who have made explicit their enmity with Obama and progressive policies generally, who would rather legislate badly than allow Obama to seem successful. The GOP are the same folks ready to call anyone “unpatriotic” who didn’t fall in line behind the dangerously incompetent George W. Bush, even as he led us into an costly and unnecessary war.
Shiva
May. 19th, 2013 at 4:58 pm
McConnell not only looks like an alien, but is dumber then a rock. He had to walk away from that knowing the wad he shot was infertile, sterile. And better yet I bet he walks away with no shame.
This guy is on pins and needles for election. He will probably win, but he is a first class liar of the supersized variety
Sugapea
May. 19th, 2013 at 5:08 pm
Great Clip! Thanks Jason.
“So the scandal—the Real Scandal—is that 501(c)(4) groups have been engaged in political activity in such a sustained and open way. “It is clear that a number of groups have improperly claimed tax-exempt status as section 501(c)(4) ‘social welfare’ organizations in order to hide the donors [LIKE THE KOCH BROTHER's] who financed their campaign activities in the 2010 and 2012 federal elections.”
“But let’s be clear on the Real Scandal here. The columnist Michael Kinsley has often observed that the scandal isn’t what’s illegal—it’s what’s legal. It’s what society chooses not to punish that tells us most about the prevailing ethical standards of the time. Campaign finance operates by shaky, or even nonexistent, rules, and powerful players game the system with impunity. A handful of I.R.S. employees saw this and tried, in a small way, to impose some small sense of order. For that, they’ll likely be ushered into bureaucratic oblivion”.
www.newyorker…
Allyson Harris
May. 19th, 2013 at 5:37 pm
When I applied for our 501(c)3 status several years ago, I was GRILLED not just on the application, but by a representative of the IRS, on what, if any, political activities my organization would be engaged in. I was told in no uncertain terms that I could lose my tax-exempt charter if my organization engaged in political activities without allowing ALL SIDES to participate. I was told that it would be best if my organization had NO political activities, and could absolutely have NO political affiliations. I can’t believe that these Tea Party Groups that were targeted for scrutiny were following the rules with respect to political affiliations. I am a progressive Liberal, and were I permitted to do so by the IRS, I would have allowed the Obama campaign to use my facility for a fund raisers, etc. but could NOT because of my instruction from the IRS. No group should be exempt if ANY are exempt from these regulations. Period.
djchefron
May. 19th, 2013 at 5:46 pm
A voice of reason Thank You
AuntInAZ
May. 20th, 2013 at 12:53 am
Allyson,
I saw a somewhat biased report on a local Tea Party group yesterday on a local news station. She was blathering on about how they’ve been waiting over two years and still doesn’t have her tax exempt status. For the most part none of these groups have been turned down, so in my estimation if she is still waiting, there is something wrong.
But the reason I brought this particular news report up is because she was complaining she had been asked about her political affiliation and whether her group would be doing anything political, etc. She also stated she should not have to answer those sort of questions. What part of how this tax exemption works do these people not understand?
Nefer
May. 19th, 2013 at 5:45 pm
“… the nanny state is here to tell us all what to do…”
“… there is a culture of intimidation throughout the administration.”
This is twice today on this site that in their own words the republicans blathered two conflicting thoughts without batting an eye. The cognitive dissonance is amazing.
Is it a nanny state that thinks it knows what’s best for you, or a boogy-boogy-scary-scary culture of intimidation?
Is President Obama an incompetent “man-child” who is “in over his head” with “no executive experience”, or is he the Super Secret Stealth Socialist Manchurian Kenyan bringing to fruition the plan hatched decades ago to infiltrate the US government at the highest level and then in dictatorial fashion wage war on the country and constitution by systematically plotting and planning to destroy us from within, and turn the US into a Muslim superstate ruled by sharia law? Mwhahahaha!
Jim Lyde
May. 20th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Like walking while chewing gum, regimes can have more than one characteristic. In this instance, the characteristics are symbiotic.
Jimmy Cracks Capricorns
May. 19th, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Once again Gregory lets the bitch lay his track of lies down as facts. Gregory is really having a hard time standing up to his right wing buddies, he closed the interview with a sad sack “…thanks for coming on and answering questions you want to answer…”
No laws broken – and these tools are crying for impeachment – this hair splitting mamby-pambyness of the right wing cry babies needs to stop, it’s embarrassing, really!!!
labman57
May. 19th, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Mitch, as is the case with most Republican politicians and pundits, rarely lets reality undermine his evidence-devoid rhetoric.
BobbyG
May. 19th, 2013 at 9:44 pm
This is news? McConnell spouting off inanely?
majii
May. 19th, 2013 at 11:34 pm
The IRS is an independent agency. The only power any president has over an independent agency is in making appointments. Millions of Americans are buying republicans’ talking points based on 100% bullsh*t. Legally, and constitutionally, if there is a problem at the IRS, it is the job of Congress to fix it, not the president’s. Congress is the only government entity with the power to provide oversight of independent agencies and to conduct investigations into wrongdoing. I continue to be appalled at the number of Americans who don’t know these things, and by the fact that so many of them can be encouraged to place the blame on the president for something over which he has no control. If these tools understood better the way the federal government operates, they’d be emailing, faxing, and calling their members of Congress demanding that they do their jobs. This IRS “scandal” shows that it is Congress which has failed to do its job, not President Obama.
John Gamboa
May. 20th, 2013 at 12:13 am
The man compares a rational request for lists of modern corporate campaign donors to unconstitutional requests for NAACP membership rolls.
Brian Loudermilch
May. 20th, 2013 at 12:17 am
The “Nanny State” GIVES His state MORE in
Government spending than His state gives to the Federal Government in Taxes.
Mitch is one of the TAKERS.
Way to Go, You Ignorant Asshole.
James N Ferguson
May. 20th, 2013 at 1:08 am
I assume he was referring to Linda Stiff in his reference to she as the head of the IRS. Stiff is a 25-year veteran of the IRS. She obviously smelled a crook. But, what I loved most was Mitch trying to dance around comments he made 25 years ago.
j
May. 20th, 2013 at 1:12 pm
Please someone, ask to see McConnell’s discharge papers from the military!
His very short term in the military!
Jim Lyde
May. 20th, 2013 at 8:35 pm
@Ferguson: McConnell said “I was wrong” 25 years ago. That is not dancing. Things like “I don’t know” & I have recused myself” & “I don’t remember” that is dancing. Obama has been dancing for 8 months re Benghazi. Get out your salt & pepper because in a few months you may have to eat your words.
Cheyenne
May. 20th, 2013 at 9:43 pm
The only people eating their words will be Republicans! They lie, they cheat, they manufacture some alternate reality time the truth! Repubs are nothing more than immoral liars who worship money, power and some mythical Republican Jesus who walks on the poor and carries an assault weapon! Talk about “misguided”! Nobody is more misguided than the right wing!
Allyson Harris
May. 20th, 2013 at 11:03 pm
Jim, so he said he was wrong 25 years ago. But he gave no explanation of it either – why was it wrong 25 years ago? Regime different back then, right? With these wing nuts, it’s okay to do this kind of thing if those in power are their friends. We’ve seen this time and time again with these characters…if the Republicans want something, fine. If the Democrats, and especially this president want something, no way. Even if those somethings are exactly the same.
Rick Dalton
May. 20th, 2013 at 10:27 pm
Republicans it ok for us but not for liberals. He was burnt with his own comment 25yrs ago. how bout what they did in 2003 ask the IRS to look into NAACP they getting to be a bigger joke everyday
Robin
May. 21st, 2013 at 6:56 am
It is about time someone brings this Jerk to task on his LIES.
Grrace
May. 21st, 2013 at 11:53 am
Funny. Teabag groups always claimed to have included Democrats. Therefore, they’re NOT a “conservative” group. Were scrutinized for their claim of social welfare activities.