HYPOCRISY ALERT: After Months of Baseless IRS Allegations, Republicans Now Say Don’t Jump to Conclusions

Ways and Means Committee Republicans today were aghast at President Obama noting on Sunday that not "even a smidgeon of corruption" has been uncovered through the nine-month Congressional investigations into the IRS singling out of applications for tax-exempt status. "The truth of the matter is, we don't know yet what the answer is in the investigation of the IRS," Rep. Mike Kelley declared at a Committee hearing today. Before the investigation even started back in May, Republicans were accusing the White House of a "culture of cover-up" over the issue. Now that the investigation has shown no evidence of any political motivation after nine months, apparently the Republican message is that no one should jump to conclusions.

Here are the facts: The IRS has 150 employees working full-time to accommodate the investigations. Since May, the agency has turned over more than 500,000 pages of documents to Congress. Five dozen interviews have been conducted with current and former IRS employees. And yet, as the President noted Sunday, not a single piece of evidence has emerged showing any political motivation.

REPUBLICANS THEN: White House operated a "culture of cover-up"

Chairman Darrell Issa, May 14: "This was the targeting of the president's political enemies effectively and lies about it [sic] during the election year, so that it wasn't discovered until afterwards." (CBS).

Chairman Dave Camp, May 17: Accuses the White House of a "culture of cover-up" and "political intimidation," and adds, "It seems like the truth is hidden from the American people just long enough to make it through an election." (W&M Hearing)

Chairman Hal Rogers, June 3: "Of course, the enemies list out of the White House that IRS was engaged in shutting down or trying to shut down the conservative political viewpoint across the country—an enemies list that rivals that of another president some time ago." (Fox News)

Chairman Mike Rogers, June 16: "You have IRS that clearly showed some criminal behavior that at least we know was back at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue." (Face the Nation).

REPUBLICANS NOW: Don't jump to conclusions

Rep. Mike Kelly, Feb. 5: "The truth of the matter is, we don't know yet what the answer is in the investigation of the IRS." (W&M Hearing)

Rep. Tom Reed, Feb. 5: "There's no way to come to a conclusion at this point in time." (W&M Hearing)

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