Las abominables exportaciones de sangre de Cuba [1995-2010]

El Blog de Medicina Cubana

Hemos recibido por correo electrónico esta nota sobre datos estadísticos que muestran en negocio de Cuba en la venta a otros países de sangre, humana. Se refiere sin duda a sangre sin embargo es probable que existan otros hemoderivados que son exportados , toda vez que en Cuba cuando se obtiene la sangre esta puede ser utilizada en la obtención de otros hemoderivados también de amplia demanda y por los cuales se pueden obtener buenos dividendos. Completamos la información con el artículo: La exportación de sangre cubana: un negocio escandaloso.

Hemos incluidos  en nuestro portal www.ArchivoCuba.org (ver Informes) las estadísticas de las ventas anuales y por país de las exportaciones de sangre de Cuba para el período 1995-2010. Esta información complementa el reciente informe titulado La Exportación de Sangre Cubana: Un Negocio Escandaloso.

Para los 16 años de estadísticas disponibles, Cuba exportó sangre valorada en $460 millones de dólares a un promedio anual de $31 millones en 1995-2002 y $27 millones en 2003-2010. Los principales países a los cuales Cuba exportó sangre fueron Brasil en 1er lugar desde 2007, Venezuela en 1er lugar en el 2006, Argentina pasando a 3er lugar en el 2009 y a 2do lugar en el 2010, Vietnam en 2do lugar en el 2009, Irán en 1er lugar casi siempre entre 1997 y 2003 y  Rusia en 1er  lugar en el 2004.

Data on sales by year and by country for Cuba’s blood exports for the period 1995-2010 has been posted on our website www.CubaArchive.org (see Reports). This information furthers our recent report Cuba’s Blood Exports: A Scandalous Business.

For the 16 years for which statistics are available, Cuba exported almost half a billion dollars in blood ($460 million), at an average of $31 million per year from 1995-2002 and $27 million from 2003-2010.  The primary countries to which Cuba exports blood are Brazil in 1st place since 2007, Venezuela in 1st place to 2006, Argentina rising to 3rd place in 2009 and 2nd place in 2010, Vietnam in 2nd place in 2009, Iran mostly in 1st place from 1997 to 2003, and Russia in 1st place in 2004. 

Cuba Archive - Truth and Memory Project .info@CubaArchive.org .Tel. (973)701-0520

LA EXPORTACIÓN DE SANGRE CUBANA: UN NEGOCIO ESCANDALOSO

Por María C. Werlau.*

1 de enero de 2014

El 26 de julio de 2013, apareció en el diario El País de Montevideo la noticia de que Cuba había vendido a Uruguay “sangre humana o animal para uso terapéutico” por un importe total de $ 0 .9 millones. 1 En un editorial posterior se especificó que las importaciones habían consistido fundamentalmente en sangre humana.

 Con toda probabilidad, la mayoría de los ciudadanos de Uruguay carecen de información acerca del origen y la manipulación de este suministro o de sangre. Mientras tanto, las estadísticas del gobierno cubano, que no se distinguen precisamente por su transparencia, no proporcionan informe alguno sobre ventas de sangre y, además, sólo ofrecen datos hasta el año 2011.

 En el sistema sanitario cubano bajo absoluto control del Estado, para poder ingresar en un hospital o someterse a cualquier operación quirúrgica, incluso a un aborto, todo ciudadano debe donar sangre (salvo la nomenklatura de mayor rango ) . (Usualmente, son los familiares del paciente quienes hacen la donación de sangre, pero a veces la familia paga a terceros por cumplir con el requisito.) Sin embargo, en Cuba no existe déficit alguno en el suministro de sangre; el gobierno informa a la Organización Mundial de la Salud y a la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OMS/OPS) que cuenta con el 100% de “donantes voluntarios y altruistas.”

 Los donantes cubanos ignoran que su gobierno utiliza su sangre como materia prima de un floreciente comercio internacional. Mientras tanto, la mayoría de los cubanos, exceptuando a la privilegiada élite gobernante, vive míseramente a causa de la economía socialista centralizada que ese mismo gobierno les ha impuesto; el salario medio mensual en la isla es de 466 pesos, equivalente a 19 dólares mensuales o 63 centavos al día.

En Cuba las campañas de donación de sangre son ritual es revolucionarios. Se promueve la donación de sangre como un deber cívico para salvar las vidas de compatriotas o de víctimas de desastres en otros países. En el decenio de 1980, se le da aún mayor impulso con el supuesto objetivo de proteger al país de la nueva epidemia de SIDA con la eliminación de toda importación de sangre.

Con el expreso objetivo de alcanzar la autosuficiencia en la producción de sangre y componentes sanguíneos, se creó una empresa estatal que luego pasó a formar parte de un lucrativo negocio de exportación dentro del “polo científico”.

Los Comités de Defensa de la Revolución enclavados en los barrios, han desempeñado una función esencial en la promoción de las donaciones de sangre voluntarias. Ofrecen diplomas y medallas a los donantes y a los “buenos revolucionarios” que donan sangre y hasta hace poco atribuían dádivas en forma de televisores, neveras y otros bienes de consumo escasos. Habida cuenta la escasez crónica de alimentos que padece la población, el bocadillo de queso y e l jugo aguado que se les suministra a los donantes es el único aliciente que tienen en la actualidad la gran mayoría de los donantes. Se requiere a las personas donar sangre en sus centros de trabajo, especialmente a los miembros de la policía, fuerzas de seguridad y fuerzas armadas.

A los reclutas que cumplen los dos años del servicio militar obligatorio se les ha exigido que donen sangre si quieren recibir los pases de 48 horas que les permiten visitar a su familia cada 15 días – una práctica que probablemente todavía está en vigor.

Los autobuses móviles especialmente preparados para la recolección de sangre visitan las cárceles, donde abundan los donantes hambrientos; éstos probablemente también reciben recompensa por ese buen comportamiento. Y lo que es aún más escalofriante, se ha convertido a muchas personas en “donantes permanentes” mediante el uso de argumentos falsos y ofreciéndole solo una ración alimenticia ligeramente mejor que la promedio.

Sin disponer de una base científica contrastada, las autoridades sanitarias le comunican a la persona que, a menos que siga donando sangre periódicamente, padecerá de un exceso de glóbulos rojos que podrá en peligro su salud.

Juan Pérez Cabrera se rehusó a dar su sangre antes de su fusilamiento y lo mataron de un tiro en la cabeza. 15 de abril de 196 3. © Free Society Project, 2014.

En la bahía de Navas, provincia de Oriente, parte de un grupo de unos 30 hombres que se disponían a iniciar un movimiento insurreccional. Los expedicionarios fueron capturados; inmediatamente un tribunal revolucionario condenó a muerte a Fuller, a otros dos estadounidenses y a cinco cubanos. La ejecución se llevó a cabo en un estadio, en un ambiente de circo, con miles de personas gritando enardecidas. Momentos antes del fusilamiento, a su tío y su primo les permitieron verlo. Fuller estaba muy débil, casi no podía mantenerse en pie y tenía las m anos heladas. Les dijo que le habían extraído de manera forzosa un gran volumen de sangre. Su familia supuso que lo habían hecho para darle un aspecto de debilidad y cobardía; desconocían que el gobierno cubano exportaba sangre.

Un ex preso político cubano que estuvo encarcelado de 1963 a 1968 en la prisión de Boniato, en Santiago de Cuba, declaró a Archivo Cuba: “En 1963, éramos unos 5.000 presos políticos en Boniato. Cada madrugada, traían a dos o tres condenados que iban rumbo al paredón de fusilamiento a una zona especial del hospital de la prisión donde a puertas cerradas les sacaban la sangre. Como soy inválido, me mantenían allí, en lo que ll amaban “el hospitalito.” Aunque no nos dejaban ver a las víctimas, yo estaba a unos 20 metros de esa habitación y podía oír todo. Se lo hicieron a todos los que iban a fusilar”.

A continuación se señalan los casos documentados de extracción de sangre antes de la ejecución (para los detalles, vea www. CubaArchive.org /database/. ) 1. Howard Anderson, 19 4 61, Pinar del Río. 2. Antonio Covela, 11 9 1963, La Cabaña, La Habana. 3. Raúl Díaz Naranjo, 15 8 64, Holguín. 4. Robert Fuller, 10 16 1960, Santiago de Cuba. 5. Pedro Gutiérrez Campos, 1964, Las Villas. 6. Oscar Hernández, 9 24 1962, Las Villas. 7. Florencio Recino, 28 3 62, Las Villas. 8. José Rodríguez Ocampo, 2 11 63, La Cabaña, La Habana. 9. Ignacio Rosell Leyva, 1 11 59, Las Villas. 10. Elizardo Santana Bonilla, 13 3 62, Las Villas. 11. Allen Dale Thompson, 10 16 1960, Santiago de Cuba. 12. Anthony Zarba, 10 16 1960, Santiago de Cuba.

¿Es segura la sangre que Cuba exporta? La recolección, evaluación, almacenaje, clasificación y transportación de la sangre y sus derivados depende de la selección apropiada de los donantes, equipo adecuado, personal bien adiestrado, administración eficiente, buenas prácticas y regulaciones así como control de calidad. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) tiene un protocolo mandatorio para la recolección de sangre, sin embargo: “cada autoridad nacional debe decidir por su cuenta si el costo de aplicar los análisis más meticuloso s a cada donación de sangre...”

Cuba reporta 100% de análisis en sus donaciones, pero el estado es dueño de todo el sector de la salud, no hay agencias monitoras i n dependientes y puede fácilmente manipular el escrutinio por parte de organismos internacionales. Un doctor en medicina cubano exiliado en el 2010 relata que su padre murió en el 1995 de una hepatitis viral contraída de una transfusión de sangre contaminada.

Ignacio Estrada, Coordinador de la Liga Cubana Contra el SIDA, un grupo independiente, informa que los bancos de recolección de sangre en los centros provinciales son adecuados, pero que no hay condiciones de almacenaje en otras localidades del país. Confirma que no se permite donar sangre a individuos y que no hay constancia de ningún caso actual de contaminación con SIDA en el suministro de sangre, aunque supieron de varios casos en los años 1990s.

En China, sin embargo, a mediados de los 1990s, el gobierno comunista restó importancia y ejerció una feroz represión ante una epidemia de SIDA que devastó a la población de la provincia de Henan por motivo de donaciones de plasma contaminado. En efecto, comprar sangre a un estado totalitario en crisis económica conlleva riesgos extraordinarios.

A Robert Fuller se le extrajo la sangre antes de fusilarlo el 16/10/ 1960.

Usted puede leer este informe en Ingles haciendo CLIC AQUÍ o en el titulo siguiente:

Cuba’s blood exports: A scandalous business.

Fuente: ICLEP

*María C. Werlau. President of the Board & Cuba Archive Executive Director. Consultant in private practice, policy analyst, author of wide-ranging writings on Cuban affairs, and longtime human rights' advocate. Formerly a Second Vice President of the Chase Manhattan Bank, Ms. Werlau holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Masters in International Relations from Universidad de Chile. She lives between the greater New York City area, Miami and Puerto Rico.

Cuba's Scandalous Blood (Literally) Exports

Capitol Hill Cubans

On July 26, 2013, the Montevideo-based El País reported $0.9 million in 2012 sales by Cuba to Uruguay of “human or animal blood for therapeutic uses.” A subsequent El Pais editorial clarified that these were mostly of "human blood." Yet, there is no mention of blood exports in Cuba's official statistics.

The Castro regime has sold blood under false pretense from the earliest days of its dictatorship. Dating back to the 1960’s, blood was massively drained from political prisoners on their way to execution.

Are the Castro brothers once again using the blood of Cubans (literally) to run an international moneymaking enterprise?

Cuba Archive's Maria Werlau has just released an extensive report on this troubling issue.

Please read the full report here >>

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Former IRS commissioner's wife tweeted from Occupy Wall Street rally

Fox News

This photo was posted on Susan Anderson's Twitter account in December 2011.

WASHINGTON –  The wife of the former IRS commissioner who ran the tax agency when it was singling out conservative groups was apparently involved -- at least briefly -- in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Susan L. Anderson sent a tweet in December 2011 asking people in the Washington area to attend an Occupy Wall Street rally.
Anderson’s active role in promoting OWS is the latest curious detail to emerge as scrutiny focuses on her husband, ex-IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman.
In a Dec. 6 tweet, Anderson, a senior program adviser for the D.C.-based group Public Campaign, tweeted “DC, good morning! Come down to the Mall and tell your 99% story!” as well as a picture of a white tent with a poster on the outside saying, “Story of the 99%. Training Today 830.”
Occupy Wall Street is a movement that began on Sept. 17, 2011 in Manhattan’s Financial District and has grown to more than 100 cities in the U.S. The Occupy rallies sought to bring attention to the disparity among classes in the country, though were also criticized for lacking focus and being unruly. Multiple cities, including D.C., held their own rallies
Anderson’s group, Public Campaign, bills itself as nonpartisan, and states it is working with “a broad range of organizations” to reform campaign-finance rules. However, the group receives much of its funding from such liberal groups as the Ford Foundation, Barbra Streisand’s The Streisand Foundation and Health Care for America NOW, a coalition of labor unions supporting ObamaCare that includes the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union, according to the Public Campaign website.
When the scandal over the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups broke, Public Campaign also appeared to defend the tax agency.
Nick Nyhart, chief executive for Public Campaign, suggested to ABC News that the misdeeds of a “few bad apples” within the agency will “make it harder for those questions to be asked without claims of bias.”
Last month, Shulman faced a tough round of questioning by Congress on the scandal that’s weighed heavily on the federal tax collecting agency. Shulman, who was appointed to his post by President George W. Bush, denied knowing that the agency targeted Tea Party groups between 2010 and 2012. Others have been skeptical about Shulman’s testimony and his knowledge of events.
Recently released reports show that Shulman made more than 100 visits to the White House.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/04/ex-irs-commissioner-wife-supported-occupy-wall-street-movement/#ixzz2VHgTYzc1

EPA accused of singling out conservative groups, amid IRS scandal

Fox News

It's not just the IRS. 

A second federal agency is facing a probe and accusations of political bias over its alleged targeting of conservative groups. 

The allegations concern the Environmental Protection Agency, which is being accused of trying to charge conservative groups fees while largely exempting liberal groups. The fees applied to Freedom of Information Act requests -- allegedly, the EPA waived them for liberal groups far more often than it did for conservative ones. 

The allegations are under investigation by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is also holding hearings on the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups. 

"I don't think it is fair at all. It is not fair to the American taxpayer -- the American taxpayer should expect and demand that the EPA treats everyone equally in regard to these requests," said Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. "This cannot be tolerated. As we see more federal agencies with this kind of bias, it is and should be a concern for all of us." 

Research by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank, claims that the political bias is routine when it comes to deciding which groups are charged fees. Christopher Horner, senior fellow at CEI, said liberal groups have their fees for documents waived about 90 percent of the time, in contrast with conservative groups that it claims are denied fee waivers about 90 percent of the time. 

"The idea is to throw hurdles in our way," charged Horner, who says he decided to look into the fee structure after the EPA repeatedly turned down his group for waivers. 

"In 20 cases of ours, since the beginning of last year, we were expressly denied, or denied by them simply refusing to respond, in 18 out of 20 cases," said Horner, explaining that the batting percentage for fees waived in favor of liberal groups is overwhelming. 

"Earth Justice was batting 17 out of 19, the Sierra Club was the worst, at 70 percent granted, 11 out of 15. You add up some other groups and we found that 75 out of 82 groups granted, because these are the groups that the EPA has decided are the favored groups." 

The EPA has denied any favoritism. 

Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe told the House Energy and Commerce Committee on May 16 that "our policy is to treat everybody the same," and the agency is considering pursuing an investigation. 

In a statement to Fox News, the EPA said: "The Office of Inspector General received from the Environmental Protection Agency the official request to look into this matter just over a week ago, so the request is currently under review by the OIG at this early stage." 

But Horner, who has studied federal government agency practices as the author of "The Liberal War on Transparency: Confessions of a Freedom of Information 'Criminal,'" says that charging fees or denying information requests is a underhanded method that government agencies use to try and stymie the free flow of information or political dissent. 

"This is no different than denying a group that you don't agree with ... whether you are the IRS or the EPA, their tax-exempt status," said Horner. 

"You're talking about essentially making or breaking them, or at a minimum, snuffing out their ability to pursue their objectives."
Murphy said treating groups differently is simply not right. 

"We are hoping that the acting administrator of the EPA can already send a message out to his people that this will not be tolerated," Murphy said. "It is wrong. Similar with the people with the IRS who testified that, 'well some of things may not be illegal,' they can still be wrong. People expect their government to not be acting in these ways, but to be fair and just and truthful in these informational quests and in their investigations." 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/04/epa-accused-singling-out-conservative-groups-amid-irs-scandal/#ixzz2VHfAItSw

After sex scandal, ex-CIA chief Petraeus takes Wall Street job

NBC News

AFP - Getty Images

Former CIA director David Petraeus addresses a University of Southern California event honoring the military on March 26, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.

Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus, attempting to rebuild his reputation after he resigned as CIA director last year over an extramarital affair, will take a new job with investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the firm said on Thursday.

Petraeus, 60, will serve as chairman of the newly created KKR Global Institute, supporting its investment teams and portfolio companies studying new investments, especially in new parts of the world. The New York-based company did not detail the terms of its agreement with Petraeus, but a spokeswoman said he will serve in a consultant's role.

The four-star general resigned as head of the CIA in November, saying he had engaged in an extramarital affair. It was a stunning downfall for a revered military man who was seen as one of the top American leaders of his generation and was once considered a potential contender for the White House.

The sex scandal involving the married Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell, an Army reserve intelligence officer who is also married, provided fodder for comedians and triggered a media storm that followed his confession and resignation.

He had been CIA director since September 2011. Before that, Petraeus served more than 37 years in the U.S. Army. He was commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan and also commanded forces in Iraq in 2007 and 2008, when violence in that country dropped following a surge in military forces.

Petraeus has a doctorate from Princeton University and has written widely on international relations, military strategy and tactics, and national security issues. He also has taught economics and international relations at the U.S. Military Academy.

He will add the new job to a couple of teaching assignments. Earlier this month, the University of Southern California announced he will join its faculty to teach classes and also mentor ROTC members.

In April, Macaulay Honors College at City University of New York named Petraeus a visiting professor for public policy starting next August. He said in a statement released by Macaulay that he was looking forward to leading a seminar on the global economic slowdown.

KKR, which has more than $78 billion in assets under management, has been involved in some of the biggest private equity buyouts in history including the $45 billion takeover of Texas power producer TXU, now known as Energy Future Holdings, in 2007. Private equity still accounts for most of KKR's assets under management, but the firm has been diversifying into credit and hedge funds.

KKR said the global institute will help it focus on issues that can affect its global investments. Those include public policy, regulatory and technology trends. The institute also will build on KKR's push to help its portfolio companies expand globally.

Cae Mario Silva en escándalo de escuchas Cuba-Venezuela

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Mario Silva, conductor del programa de televisión La Hojilla, que transmite la televisión estatal de Venezuela, se despidió de su teleaudiencia alegando “razones de salud” tras el escándalo desatado el lunes por una grabación en la que presuntamente el periodista habla con un oficial del G-2 cubano sobre conspiraciones y fracturas en las filas chavistas.

Silva rechazó categóricamente las acusaciones hechas por la oposición venezolana sobre la veracidad de la cinta y dijo que bien podría tratarse de un “montaje” del diputado Ismael García, quien divulgó el contenido de la grabación en una rueda de prensa.

El conductor ya había dicho en su cuenta de Twitter que se trataba de un "bodrio que montó el Mossad” (servicios secretos de Israel).

“"He decidido ponerme a derecho para que las instituciones de justicia, hagan lo que deban hacer, no les temo a los fascistas y mucho menos a la derecha que vino a sustituir lo más perverso de la cuarta república (…) que me investiguen”, declaró Silva en un comunicado presentado durante la transmisión de su programa el lunes en la noche.

En la grabación se escucha hablar a Silva de la existencia de dos facciones en pugna dentro del chavismo, una supuestamente encabezada por el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Diosdado Cabello—a quien tilda de corrupto—, y la otra por el actual presidente del país, Nicolás Maduro, designado por Hugo Chávez como su sucesor con el aparente visto bueno de La Habana.

Antes del anuncio hecho por Silva de que se retiraba de su programa, Maduro y Cabello mantuvieron una reunión en el palacio presidencial de Miraflores y desmintieron que entre ellos existan divisiones, de acuerdo con la agencia de noticias EFE.

“Si tengo que inmolarme por la revolución, lo haré”, dijo Silva, quien reiteró su apoyo “irrestricto a las instituciones y al presidente Nicolás Maduro”, y alegó que la grabación responde a “un plan casi perfecto para acabar con La Hojilla", programa que está por cumplir nueve años en el aire.

La oposición venezolana alega que el diálogo entre el periodista y el teniente coronel del G-2 habría tenido efecto poco después de las elecciones del 14 de abril, en las que Maduro fue dado como ganador por una mayoría de votos muy estrecha en unas elecciones sumamente controvertidas y que han sido impugnadas por el candidato opositor Henrique Capriles.

NYT: Obama Administration Knew of IRS Scandal 5 Months Before Election

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By John Nolte 

In no uncertain terms and with no hedging, The New York Times reports that the Obama administration was aware of the fact that the IRS was targeting Tea Party groups as far back as June of 2012. The Treasury Department's Inspector General confirmed that he told senior Treasury officials in June of 2012, a full five months before Election Day:

The Treasury Department’s inspector general told senior Treasury officials in June 2012 he was investigating the Internal Revenue Service’s screening of politically active organizations seeking tax exemptions, disclosing for the first time on Friday that Obama administration officials were aware of the matter during the presidential campaign year.

We still don’t know for sure what the President knew or when he knew it, but this does confirm that the administration was aware of the fact that Obama's political enemies were under fire by the IRS and covered that fact up during an election year.

As Lisa Meyers of NBC News told "Morning Joe" today, "Imagine if we -- if you can -- what would have happened if this fact came out in September 2012, in the middle of a presidential election? The terrain would have looked very different."

The first time President Obama was asked when he found out about the IRS scandal, he told the media that he learned of the news last Friday, the same way the rest of us did -- from the news media.

Thursday, a Bloomberg reporter asked the President when he or anyone else in the White House learned of the scandal. The President dodged the question.

With this latest news confirming when the Administration first learned of the IRS scandal,  we now know that, along with Benghazi and the unfurling Associated Press scandal, there were three scandals brewing and unfolding in the White House during an election year. But we are only now hearing about them -- six months after Barack Obama was safely re-elected.

This fact says as much about the failure of our lapdog national media as it does about President Obama. Why just this morning the Times itself dismissed the IRS scandal on its editorial page.

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Obama says he didn't 'know anything' about IRS targeting of conservative groups

Fox News

President Obama insisted Thursday that he knew nothing about the internal investigation into the IRS' practice of singling out conservative groups for special scrutiny before it was made public, a day after he sought to tamp down the controversy by announcing the resignation of the IRS chief. 

"I certainly did not know anything about the (inspector general) report" beforehand, Obama said Thursday, during a press conference alongside the Turkish prime minister. 

He reiterated that he found the agency's actions "unacceptable" and sought to fix the problem "the minute" he found out about it. 

Lawmakers were inquiring about the alleged targeting of Tea Party groups by the IRS more than a year ago, but the White House claims they were not in the loop on the practice. Obama, seeking to swiftly address the controversy, announced Wednesday that acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller would resign -- though Miller was apparently set to step down anyway. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/16/obama-to-meet-with-treasury-officials-over-irs-scandal/#ixzz2TTtFDOOl

In wake of scandal, Obama ousts IRS chief -- who was leaving anyway

Fox News

President Obama announced Wednesday that acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller would resign in the wake of the agency scandal in which conservative groups were targeted -- though Miller was apparently set to step down anyway. 

An official close to Miller told Fox News, shortly after Obama's brief announcement, that the IRS chief was "set to resign the position of acting commission as of early June." He was planning to leave the IRS entirely a "couple of months later, regardless of the current controversy," the source said. 

These details were not mentioned by the president as he announced Wednesday evening Miller was resigning. Obama spoke following a meeting with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew  and other top department officials in which they reviewed a highly critical inspector general’s report on the practice. The report concluded poor management allowed agents to improperly target Tea Party and other groups for more than 18 months, starting in 2010.

Obama said Lew asked for the resignation and Miller agreed, after being on the job since November 2012.

“Americans have a right to be angry about it, and I’m angry about it,” Obama said from the White House. The president is expected to name a new acting commissioner later this week. 

Republicans, who along with Democrats have slammed the IRS for the practice, welcomed the resignation Wednesday but made clear they would continue to investigate and press for accountability. 

Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said the resignation "is a necessary first step but more heads need to roll." 

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., reacting to the claim that Miller was leaving anyway, said it seemed like he was a "perfect scapegoat" for the administration. 

Miller’s resignation was part of three-step plan Obama outlined to fix the problem.

The other steps are to put in place the safeguards recommended in the IG report and to work with Congress as it investigates. 

“The good news is we can fix this,” Obama said. 

Miller became acting commissioner after Commissioner Douglas Shulman completed his five-year term. Shulman had been appointed by President George W. Bush.

The president has proceeded cautiously since the IRS controversy was made public Friday. While he initially said the accusations were "outrageous," he also said he wanted to wait until the report was released before addressing what should be done to hold accountable those responsible.

Obama said he would hold a press conference Thursday.

The report lays much of the blame on IRS supervisors in Washington who oversaw a group of specialists in Cincinnati who screened applications for tax-exempt status. It does not indicate that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups, but it does say a top supervisor in Washington did not adequately supervise agents in the field even after she learned the agents were acting improperly.

The Justice Department is also investigating the IRS targeting, as are three congressional committees.

Sources told Fox News that Miller will remain on the job "for a couple of weeks." 

The House Ways and Means Committee said after the announcement of Miller's resignation that he still will attend a hearing Friday.

And the House Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs sent a letter Wednesday afternoon to the IRS  requesting five employees named in the IG audit be made available for transcribed interviews by committee staff.

The Republican-led committee wants to start the interviews Monday.

The names and titles of the IRS employees requested are Holly Paz, a director; John Shafer, a manager; Gary Muthert, a screener; Liz Hofacre, a case coordinator; and Joseph Herr, a manager.

"The resignation of Steven Miller is a positive and important step as this agency struggles to try to regain the public’s trust," said Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. "A clean slate at the IRS with new leadership is imperative to fix this egregious encroachment on the lives of honest, hard-working Americans whose only sin was that they want to express their beliefs."

Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney sidestepped a question about whether Obama still had confidence in Miller, saying he wouldn't discuss personnel matters. He said Obama has expressed his overall view that IRS personnel had acted inappropriately. 

"He wants to see that the actions taken, as revealed by the Treasury report, that are inappropriate, are met with consequences," Carney said. "He will make clear to Treasury Department leaders that he expects action." 

Carney said Obama wants the public to "understand and believe that the IRS applies our tax laws in a neutral and fair way to everyone."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/16/obama-to-meet-with-treasury-officials-over-irs-scandal/#ixzz2TTPQ7aqM

Boehner: "My question is who is going to jail over this scandal?” IRS disciplines 2 in probe into conservative targeting

usnews

By Kelly O’Donnell, NBC News

A senior official at the Internal Revenue Service has told congressional investigators that two IRS employees have been disciplined in relation to the special scrutiny applied to conservative groups, Congressional sources told NBC News on Wednesday.

The disciplined employees are from the IRS’s Cincinnati office, which was responsible at the time for reviewing the applications of groups that wanted tax exemption, the sources said.

An internal report faulted the IRS for using “inappropriate criteria” in the screening and for bad management. The disclosure has angered members of both parties in Congress, and President Barack Obama has said it was inexcusable. The Justice Department has opened an investigation.

In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that prosecutors are looking at several different criminal statutes, including one that requires IRS employees to do their jobs without favoritism.

“The facts will take us wherever they take us,” Holder said.

He said that the investigation, while based in Washington, will be nationwide in scope and not limited to the offices that have been the subject of complaints so far.

IRS employees used to terms search as “Tea Party” and “Patriots” to determine which organizations would be allowed tax exemption under federal law. An IRS official has apologized, but lawmakers want to know who within the organization, and perhaps elsewhere in government, was aware of the screening.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, demanded earlier Wednesday: “My question isn’t who is going to resign. My question is who is going to jail over this scandal?”

Holder faces questions on Capitol Hill

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Jon Stewart Rips Obama On IRS Scandal - Business Insider

Business Insider

Brett LoGiurato 

Comedy Central

Jon Stewart blasted President Barack Obama and his administration over the IRS' admitted targeting of different conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

Stewart said Obama has now lent a hand to every "tin-foil behatted" conspiracy theorist.

"Well, congratulations, President Barack Obama," Stewart said. "Conspiracy theorists, who generally can survive in anaerobic environments, just had an algae bloom dropped on their f—ing heads — thus, removing the last arrow in your pro-governance quiver: Skepticism about your opponents."

Stewart also tore into the IRS for trying to issue only a simple apology after their disclosure. Stewart harped on an IRS spokesperson's aside on a conference call with reporters that she was not very good at math.

"That's a good one!" Stewart said, addressing her as "lady who works at the place that calculates people's taxes."

But he reserved his harshest criticism for Obama. Stewart his administration's seeming proficiency at coming down with an iron fist on certain issues to bureaucratic incompetence on others, like the backlog of applications for benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"You've managed to show that when the government wants to do good things, your managerial competence falls somewhere between David Brent and a cat chasing a laser pointer," Stewart said. "But when government wants to flex its more malevolent muscles, you're f—ing Iron Man." 

Watch the clip below, courtesy of Comedy Central >>

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-obama-irs-scandal-benghazi-daily-show-may-13-2013-5#ixzz2THUtZxdA