June 16, 2013 --

LPR began the week, June 10, at a New York Public Library (Spuyten Duyvil branch) computer looking for late developments in the IRS Target-gate story and found a Reuters report saying that according to Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the idea to single out conservative groups for special scrutiny was the idea of a "conservative Republican."

Congressman Cumming says this makes it clear that politics had nothing to do with the issue. LPR is not certain, at this point, that anyone has asked Congressman Cummings if this "conservative Republican" has explained why months and months and months went by without action on applications for tax exemptions for Tea Party groups.

LPR also wonders how this "conservative Republican" would explain why the special scrutiny given conservative groups seeking tax exemption included lengthy and very intrusive questionnaires while leftwing groups scooted by with their requests for tax-exempt status.

Meanwhile, according to a CBS New/New York Times poll, 80% of Republicans, 66% of Independents and 60% of Democrats believe that politics motivated Target-gate. The poll also reported that 26% think the IRS did nothing wrong. That 26% probably includes Congressman Cummings and even, perhaps, one thus far unnamed, "conservative Republican" at the IRS.

And by the way -- that Reuters on-line story came with pop-up ads seeking people to sign petitions that were anti-Koch brothers, anti-Paul Ryan, and pro-Obama. LPR saw no pop-up ad demanding transparency from, say, George Soros, or The New York Times.