Top Democrat pisses off Darrell Issa by releasing transcripts which obliterates his conspiracy theory that the IRS "targeting" of Tea Party groups was directed by Washington.

"What somebody told the truth? Why would anybody tell the truth?"

Courtesy of Business Insider: 


Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Democratic ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, released more than 200 pages of interview transcripts Tuesday afternoon after the committee's Chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), refused to do so. 

Cummings is seeking to dispel any notion that targeting of Tea Party groups by the Internal Revenue Service was ordered from Washington. 

Cummings released transcripts with an IRS screening group manager described as a "conservative Republican," who said that the targeting of the Tea Party groups applying for tax-exempt status started with low-level workers in Cincinnati. The witness also said that there was no communication on the targeting with any senior IRS officials or with anyone in Washington or the Obama administration. 

Democrats have posted the key portion of the transcript here, in which the manager says he initially was made aware of a case involving a Tea Party group when an agent "asked for guidance." He agreed with the agent that there "wasn't enough information" to determine whether the group should have a tax-exempt status, and said he elevated the issue to his "area manager." 

The manager also said an official in the exempt organizations division in Washington was "pleased with the decision to elevate this case," but suggested there wasn't a political role in the targeting. 

"I do not believe that the screening of these cases had anything to do other than consistency and identifying issues that needed to have further development," the manager said.

And THAT my friends is the sound of the fat lady singing.

Of course these are facts that Darrell Issa did NOT want the American people to have access to, and in response simply refuses to accept what the transcripts prove and threw himself a little tantrum.  

Issa immediately decried the release of the transcripts, saying he was "deeply disappointed" at Cummings' decision. He said their release would encourage IRS officials to "navigate investigative interviews" with Congress. 

"After unsuccessfully trying to convince the American people that IRS officials in Washington did not play a role in inappropriate scrutiny of Tea Party groups and declaring on national television that the case of IRS targeting was ‘solved’ and Congress should ‘move on,’ this looks like flailing," Issa said. "Americans who think Congress should investigate IRS misconduct should be outraged by Mr. Cummings’ efforts to obstruct needed oversight." 

So to be clear in Darrell Issa's alternate reality withholding fact about an investigation to pimp the lie that the Obama administration did something wrong is perfectly reasonable, but releasing the facts is considered "obstructionism." 

What happens to a witch hunt when suddenly everybody in the village realizes there's no such thing as witches?

Can somebody tell me how this revelation should not result in an impeachment or a recall election to get Issa out of office?