- Smoking Gun White House Document Shows Clinton Illegally
Influenced IRS Decision to Audit Judicial Watch
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- WASHINGTON, DC - Judicial
Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government
corruption, announced today that it has filed a civil rights lawsuit against
Bill Clinton and top Congressional Democrats (including Charles Rangel,
Martin Frost, Jim Moran, Tom Harkin, John Lewis, and Richard Neal) for
instigating a political audit of Judicial Watch by the IRS.
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- Documents produced to Judicial Watch by the IRS under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) included a copy of a email to President
Clinton at the White House which stated:
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- I have received solicitation for funds and a questionnaire
>from Larry Klayman, of Judicial Watch. They have targeted you and the
Vice President. My question is how can this obviously partisan organization
be classified as tax exempt under 501(C)(3). I think you and your wife
have done a great job in spite of the partisan attacks against both of
you.
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- The IRS documents show the email, which was sent to the
IRS Commissioner Charles Rossottiâs office by President Clinton,
was received by the IRS on or about September 22, 1998. Judicial Watchâs
first audit notice was dated two weeks later, on October 6, 1998. It is
illegal and criminal for the President to directly or indirectly request
an IRS audit of any taxpayer. Separately, Judicial Watch had been told
by an IRS official that an audit was to be expected for suing President
Clinton. (Judicial Watch continues to fight the politically-motivated IRS
audit in court.)
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- After four years, the IRS also finally was forced to
release various "complaints" about Judicial Watch from Democrat
members of Congress (named above), showing a widespread campaign to illegally
pressure the IRS to audit Judicial Watch.
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- Judicial Watch filed its lawsuit against Clinton and
the Democrat members of Congress yesterday here in federal court. The lawsuit
alleges a conspiracy to violate Judicial Watchâs First, Fourth, and
Fifth Amendment rights. A copy of the lawsuit is available on the Judicial
Watch Internet site at www.judicialwatch.org. The case is before Judge
Emmet G. Sullivan.
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- "A citizen ought to be able to petition the government,
or even sue the president, without fear of a retaliatory tax audit. Under
Clinton, the IRS was sorely abused, as most of his perceived enemies were
audited by the IRS. And now the IRSâs own documents show that Clinton
was aided and abetted by Congressional Democrats who sought to destroy
anyone who questioned the ethics of the Clinton regime. No one is above
the law and Judicial Watch looks forward to holding these powerful politicians
accountable in court," stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General
Counsel Larry Klayman.
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- To view the complaint:
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- http://www.judicialwatch.org/cases/95/cmp.htm
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- © Copyright 1997-2002, Judicial Watch, Inc.
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