Scandal Update 

Here are the latest developments in the various scandals surrounding the Obama Administration. 
 

• NBC News reports that letters received from conservative organizations clearly indicate that the IRS' politically-motivated targeting of Christian and Tea Party groups "did not solely originate in the agency's Cincinnati office." Jay Sekulow with the American Center for Law and Justice is representing more than two dozen groups targeted by the IRS. He told NBC: "We've dealt with 15 agents, including tax law specialists -- that's lawyers -- from four different offices, including (the) Treasury (Department) in Washington, D.C. So the idea that this is a couple of rogue agents in Cincinnati is not correct."

  In addition, it has been reported that former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman visited the White House more than 100 times during 2010 and 2011. In contrast, Commissioner Mark Everson visited the Bush White House only once during his tenure, from 2003 to 2007. 

  No doubt some of Shulman's visits were related to the IRS' role in the enforcement of Obamacare. But Shulman's frequent visits took place when the IRS harassment of conservative organizations was at its peak. Liberals love to point out that Shulman was appointed IRS Commissioner by George W. Bush. But they neglect to mention that he is also a Democrat donor, giving $500 to the Democrat National Committee when Bush was up for reelection in 2004. 
   

• Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wants to know more about the false Benghazi talking points used by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice. Yesterday, Rep. Issa issued a subpoena to Secretary of State John Kerry demanding the State Department turn over "all documents and communications referring or relating to the Benghazi talking points." Issa gave Kerry until June 7th to comply. 
   
• The left's support for the administration is beginning to crack. Liberal law professor Jonathan Turley has penned an op-ed in USA Today demanding President Obama fire Attorney General Eric Holder for his "ignoble legacy," adding that Holder's "sins should be fatal for any attorney general." To give you some idea of just how left-wing Turley is, he has filed suit on behalf of "marriage equality" for polygamists in Utah.

Senate GOP Goes To Court 

Many conservatives have expressed concern about the perceived lawlessness of this administration and the apparent lack of a response. There has been a response, but it just takes time. 

As you may recall, Barack Obama has expressed his frustration with the limits placed on him by the system of checks and balances our Founders created. Well, those checks and balances work both ways -- making it difficult for the other branches of government to check the executive. 

Consider the example of Obama's extraordinary recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Obama made the appointments when there wasn't a congressional recess. Two federal courts have now declared those appointments unconstitutional. Of course, the Obama Administration is appealing to the Supreme Court. 

Yesterday all 45 Senate Republicans signed on to a brief urging the high court to strike down Obama's recess appointments. In a statement, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell argued, "If [President Obama] can override Senate procedures and second-guess its account of its actions, there is no telling what mischief he can achieve." If the Supreme Court agrees, everything the NLRB has done could well be declared invalid. 

"The Enemy Is Everywhere" 

The BBC reported yesterday that British authorities have arrested ten people during a sweep of Islamic extremists. The arrests come in the aftermath of last week's brutal murder of a British soldier in broad daylight. Not surprisingly, the attack has encouraged other jihadists to lash out. 

A British prison guard was kidnapped Sunday by three Muslim inmates and beaten for hours before being rescued by a riot squad. 

Recalling World War II-era posters warning, "The enemy is everywhere," Dame Stella Rimington, the former head of Britain's intelligence agency MI-5, is calling on British citizens "to act as the eyes and ears" of the police in order to expose radical Islamists. Rimington's analogy, sadly, is accurate, as radical Islam has been tolerated for too long and has spread throughout parts of England. 

Also over the weekend, a French soldier in a Paris suburb was stabbed in the neck. French police today arrested a 21 year-old Muslim convert who reportedly confessed to the attack and who "acted in the name of his religious ideology." 

The French Interior Minister admitted to the media that "no fewer than 120 French jihadists" have left the country to fight in Syria's civil war, with the vast majority of them fighting alongside Al Qaeda terrorists. It is believed that 30 have returned to France. 

Bachmann Announces Retirement 

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) announced this morning that she will not seek reelection to Congress next year. Rep. Bachmann, chairman of the House Tea Party Caucus, is a stalwart conservative. A former tax attorney, Bachmann, the mother of five children who also welcomed 23 foster children into her home, has been a passionate advocate for traditional values. 

Like any staunch conservative who dares to stand up for faith and family, she has been sliced, diced and smeared by the left and its media allies. No doubt she is looking forward to some quiet time with her family away from the glare of a hostile media. While her leadership in Washington will be missed, I am certain that she will remain an influential voice for our values for many years to come!