They’re still withholding 7000 documents that show how (as Koskinen himself admitted) they were targeting conservatives.
As I wrote on an email list this morning (in the context of Big Data, Facebook and government spying): “I’m much more worried (or at least was in the last administration) about being targeted as a “right-wing” (i.e., someone who is a classical liberal, and gives a s**t about the Constitution) rather than Islamic terrorist, if they’re looking through my contacts and statements. And I think that the previous administration was the worst since Woodrow Wilson in terms of targeting what it perceived to be its political enemies (including through the campaign…). I’d call it Nixonian, except Nixon didn’t get away with it.”
For me, the obvious concern is that someone will use that information against us, sooner or later no matter what ideology they claim. Maybe it’ll just be subtle harassment or inability to get governments services in a timely manner. Maybe it’ll be example 97 on a proscription death list of 100 threats to the glorious leader in Nowhere County.
I do wish the surveillance state were a bigger concern among democratic peoples, not just in the US.
The thing about big data, it can easily identify mass movements and their leaders. A small band coordinating offline is much harder to spot.
Where is Baghdad Jim to defend the IRS when they need faithful Eloi like him?
I think he might have tired of getting figuratively beaten up around here.
He will be back (I hope). A pause after November is a wise move.
I do not understand why Koskinnen still has a job. He is the biggest Swamp Monster there is right now – only Loretta Lynch was bigger.
If Trump was going to be true to his promises of draining the swamp, this guy would have been the first to go.
Although….Koskinnen does have Trump’s tax returns………..
If there was anything seriously scandalous in Trump’s tax returns, I expect we’d know it by now. The democrats will stop at nothing, especially legal privacy protections, in their effort to destroy the man.
Let go? The guy is in contempt of Congress and belongs in prison.
I say the entire lot deserves to be fired with cause, and anyone involved with the Tea Party targeting should lose their pensions and face contempt charges.
I find it funny that WAPO is reporting this as a bad thing?