The Justice Department disclosed that the career lawyer who led a politically charged investigation of the IRS over targeting conservative organizations devoted 1,529 hours to the probe,
according to a letter released by Judicial Watch.
The lawyer, Barbara Bosserman, spent so much time on the case even though House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to then-Attorney General Eric Holder,
according to The Washington Post, protesting that she shouldn't have been included in the investigation.
In the January 2014 letter, they asked Holder to remove her from the probe, saying it is "highly inappropriate and has compromised the administration's investigation of the IRS."
In addition, Bosserman donated $6,750 to Obama's campaigns and to the Democratic National Committee from 2004 to 2012, most of which came during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. The investigation she led resulted in no charges, Judicial Watch noted.
"These numbers, extracted from the Obama administration after two years of hard fought litigation, show the central role that a conflicted Obama donor played in the Justice Department investigation of the Obama IRS scandal," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. "Is it any surprise that this compromised investigation found no reason to prosecute anyone in the Obama IRS scandal?"
The American Center for Law and Justice represents 41 groups that are suing the Internal Revenue Service, and released a statement condemning the Justice Department for putting Bosserman in charge of the investigation.
"Appointing an avowed political supporter of President Obama to head up the Justice Department probe is not only disturbing but puts politics right in the middle of what is supposed to be an independent investigation to determine who is responsible for the Obama administration's unlawful targeting of conservative and tea party groups," said Jay Sekulow, the law center's chief counsel.
The Justice Department has said that it doesn't take personal political leanings into account when hiring or assigning employees.
"It is contrary to department policy and a prohibited personnel practice under federal law to consider the political affiliation of career employees or other non-merit factors in making personnel decisions," Dena Iverson, a department spokeswoman, said in a statement. "Additionally, removing a career employee from an investigation or case due to political affiliation, as Chairmen Issa and Jordan have requested, could also violate the equal opportunity policy and the law."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.