June 3, 2013 --

The New York Times May 17 story on the IRS matter described House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrel Issa as "the often aggressive California Republican."

(This article also described Rep. Michele Bachmann as "the Republican firebrand from Minnesota and managed to report that House Speaker John A., Boehner led the condemnations [of the IRS] "with his own loud baritone.")

Chairman Issa was certainly not "aggressive" May 22 when he refused to challenge Ms. Lerner for waiving her Fifth Amendment right when she gave an opening statement to the committee. LPR would note that The New York Times did not call Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, ranking Democrat on the Oversight committee, "aggressive" when he said: "'I think we need to be very, very careful not to let partisanship undermine the integrity not only of the committee but our investigation and our work product.'" Rep. Cummings apparently has determined that the IRS in this matter showed "'gross incompetence and mismanagement.'"

LPR would suggest to Rep. Cummings that his concern about the deleterious impact of partisanship is, in the IRS Matter, properly addressed to the IRS. As for his conclusion that the IRS, in this matter, was guilty of "'gross incompetence and mismanagement,'" LPR would caution Rep. Cummings that from such stuff are accusations of being "anti-government" are made.