The White House responded to Rep. Darrell Issa’s latest accusations by treating them like the joke that they are.
Yesterday, Rep. Darrell Issa went on CNN and made some wild accusations about the White House and the IRS scandal that he could not back up. Issa said, “We understand this is in real time, and the administration is still. Their paid liar. Their spokesperson, the picture behind. He’s still making up things about what happened, and calling this local rogue. There’s no indication. The reason why Lois Lerner tried to take the fifth is not because there’s rogue in Cincinnati. It’s because this is a problem that was coordinated in all likelihood right out of Washington headquarters right out of Washington headquarters. We have eighteen more transcribed interviews. We’re getting to proving it.”
Press Secretary Jay Carney responded today with a joke, “I hadn’t heard that. That’s amazing. I’m not going to get into a back-and-forth with Chairman Issa. I think that what our focus is and has been is the need to find out all the inappropriate activity that occurred, make sure, as the president insists, that those who are responsible for inappropriate, outrageous activity be held accountable, that processes are put into place at the IRS so that something like this cannot happen again.”
Rep. Issa desperately wanted the White House to engage with him in order to elevate his evidenceless conspiracy into a full blown scandal, but the Obama administration is not playing along. The administration is responding perfectly to Issa’s baiting. They are agreeing with Republicans that this needs to be investigated, and any problems that are found must be fixed.
Instead of elevating his scandal, Rep. Issa has become a source of mockery.
David Plouffe tweeted:
On a more serious note, Robert Gibbs pointed out what Republicans are fearing most, “I mean, it’s a stunning thing. It’s why five people in this town take Darrell Issa seriously. And it’s the surest bet that the Republicans are very much on the verge of overplaying their hand publicly and that the American people will lose interest in their side of this,” he added. “To throw around the words liar and perjury as easily as he did is shameful. And if he’s got information that these people lied, he should put it out there today.”
Democrats are getting a chuckle out of Issa outing his own investigation as a partisan fishing trip, but Republicans aren’t laughing.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “Let’s not make it personal. Jay Carney is not the issue here. He’s the spokesman for the White House…I don’t believe this was something thought up in the Cincinnati office, but I have no evidence that goes to the White House.”
Sen. John McCain also pushed back against Issa on CBS This Morning,”I never like to use that word (liar). I think that we should let these investigations take their course, let the facts come out.”
The problem for Republicans is that the White House is supporting their investigation. If Obama keeps urging cooperation while Issa is screaming conspiracy, the public is going to tune this out as more partisan white noise.
The paid liar/partisan rhetoric is backfiring. Rep. Issa isn’t an investigator. He is a partisan hack who is out to get the Obama administration. He is still bitter that his Fast and Furious scandal never caught on so he has put all of his conspiracy eggs in the IRS basket.
The Obama administration is treating Issa like a joke, because he is a joke with the worst punchline ever.
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