-Caveat Lector- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19990820_xex_clint on_fail.shtml THE POWER TO DESTROY Clinton fails to name IRS oversight board Deadline for appointments was last January By Stephan Archer © 1999 WorldNetDaily.com President Clinton failed to appoint members to an Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board mandated by Congress in 1998, WorldNetDaily has learned. The IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 became law on July 22 of last year giving the president six months to appoint members to the Oversight Board, according to Trent Duffey, spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee. The six-month deadline was Jan. 22 of this year. "They (the White House) were supposed to pick an independent oversight board six months after enactment, and it's now over a year," said Duffey. "They opposed the creation of an independent oversight board from the very beginning. Only with great stubbornness by (Rep. Bill) Archer and (Sen. William) Roth were we able to keep that in the final law. They have yet to forward any names." Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a key architect of the 1998 IRS Reform law, believes the president's failure to appoint members to the board is a cause for concern. Commenting on the passing of the one-year anniversary of the I RS reform enactment, Portman said, "The administration's continued failure to follow the law and nominate members for the Oversight Board should be a source of concern to all taxpayers. Over the years, the IRS has been re markably resistant to change. The Oversight Board is needed to ensure the IRS is held accountable for its actions, taxpayers are treated fairly and the reforms are sustained over time." The purpose of the board, as stated in the U.S. Code, is to hold regular meetings making sure the IRS is following the spirit and letter of the law. "In general, the Oversight Board shall oversee the Internal Revenue Service in its administration, management, conduct, direction, and supervision of the execution and application of the internal revenue laws or related s tatutes and tax conventions to which the United States is a party," the U.S. Code reads. Commenting once again on the law, Duffey said, "It was designed to make the IRS more responsive to taxpayers. Supposedly, they're doing better. Audits are down. No one is ever completely satisfied with these people -- no one likes tax collectors -- even going back to the Bible." Although the numbers of audits may be down, this "relief" comes late for the many organizations and individuals who have endured audits -- especially those that suspect the motivations may be political. One such audit was that of the Western Journalism Center, the parent company of WorldNetDaily. In 1996, during the audit, IRS agent Thomas Cederquist announced the case was political and the decision about the organizatio n's fate would be made at the national level. Most recently, WorldNetDaily, through a Freedom of Information Act request, received documents from the Treasury Department tracing a 1994 letter that had been sent from Paul Venze, a Los Angeles-area resident, to the White House. Venze, in the letter, expressed concern that Western Journalism Center, a non-profit organization, was violating its non-profit status by publishing investigative reports concerning the death of White House Deputy Counsel Vincent Foster. The letter, the FOIA documents show, was sent from the White House to the IRS, and soon after, the audit began. The 1998 law passed by Congress included a provision making it a crime for the president or vice president to request -- directly or indirectly -- an IRS audit. The bill was a direct response to the furor of political audits raised by the Western Journalism Center's revelations in 1996. Whether or not the White House violated the law in its earlier audits will be up to the courts to decide. Western Journalism Center is pressing a $10 million lawsuit against IRS and executive branch officials. But there is no doubt in Duffey's mind the White House is derelict in its responsibility regarding the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. "It's defied the letter of the law absolutely," Duffey said Kathleen "The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedom." -- Supreme Court Justice William Orville Douglas DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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