President Obama claims that Republicans are busy probing “phony
scandals.” But the sheer number of scandals suggests that misbehavior,
abuse of power, and possibly corruption are not something being dreamed
up by the GOP, but a defining characteristic of the Obama
administration.
Here is a list of some of those not so phony Obama scandals:
1. IRS targets Obama’s enemies: The IRS targeted
conservative and pro-Israel groups prior to the 2012 election. Questions
are being raised about why this occurred, who ordered it, whether there
was any White House involvement and whether there was an initial effort
to hide who knew about the targeting and when.
2. Benghazi: This is actually three scandals in one:
- The failure of administration to protect the Benghazi mission.
- The changes made to the talking points in order to suggest the attack was motivated by an anti-Muslim video
- The refusal of the White House to say what President Obama did the night of the attack
3. Watching the AP: The Justice Department performed a massive cull of Associated Press reporters’ phone records as part of a leak investigation.
4. Rosengate: The Justice Department suggested that
Fox News reporter James Rosen is a criminal for reporting about
classified information and subsequently monitored his phones and emails.
5. Potential Holder perjury I: Attorney General Eric
Holder told Congress he had never been associated with “potential
prosecution” of a journalist for perjury when in fact he signed the
affidavit that termed Rosen a potential criminal.
6. The ATF “Fast and Furious” scheme: Allowed
weapons from the U.S. to “walk” across the border into the hands of
Mexican drug dealers. The ATF lost track of hundreds of firearms, many
of which were used in crimes, including the December 2010 killing of
Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
7. Potential Holder Perjury II: Holder told Congress
in May 2011 that he had just recently heard about the Fast and Furious
gun walking scheme when there is evidence he may have known much
earlier.
8. Sebelius demands payment: HHS Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius solicited donations from companies HHS might regulate. The
money would be used to help her sign up uninsured Americans for
ObamaCare.
9. The Pigford scandal: An Agriculture Department
effort that started as an attempt to compensate black farmers who had
been discriminated against by the agency but evolved into a gravy train
delivering several billion dollars in cash to thousands of additional
minority and female farmers who probably didn’t face discrimination.
10. GSA gone wild: The General Services
Administration in 2010 held an $823,000 training conference in Las
Vegas, featuring a clown and a mind readers. Resulted in the resignation
of the GSA administrator.
11. Veterans Affairs in Disney World: The agency wasted more than $6 million on two conferences in Orlando. An assistant secretary was fired.
12. Sebelius violates the Hatch Act: A U.S. special
counsel determined that Sebelius violated the Hatch Act when she
made “extemporaneous partisan remarks” during a speech in her official
capacity last year. During the remarks, Sebelius called for the election
of the Democratic candidate for governor of North Carolina.
13. Solyndra: Republicans charged the Obama
administration funded and promoted its poster boy for green energy
despite warning signs the company was headed for bankruptcy. The
administration also allegedly pressed Solyndra to delay layoff
announcements until after the 2010 midterm elections.
14. AKA Lisa Jackson: Former EPA Administrator Lisa
Jackson used the name “Richard Windsor” when corresponding by email with
other government officials, drawing charges she was trying to evade
scrutiny.
15. The New Black Panthers: The Justice Department
was accused of using a racial double standard in failing to pursue a
voter intimidation case against Black Panthers who appeared to be
menacing voters at a polling place in 2008 in Philadelphia.
16. Waging war all by myself: Obama may have
violated the Constitution and both the letter and the spirit of the War
Powers Resolution by attacking Libya without Congressional approval.
17. Biden bullies the press: Vice President Biden’s
office has repeatedly interfered with coverage, including forcing a
reporter to wait in a closet, making a reporter delete photos, and
editing pool reports.
18. AKPD not A-OK: The administration paid millions
to the former firm of then-White House adviser David Axelrod, AKPD
Message and Media, to promote passage of Obamacare. Some questioned
whether the firm was hired to help pay Axelrod $2 million AKPD owed him.
19. Sestak, we’ll take care of you: Former White
House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used Bill Clinton as an intermediary
to probe whether former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) would accept a
prominent, unpaid White House advisory position in exchange for dropping
out of the 2010 primary against former Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.).
20. I’ll pass my own laws: Obama has repeatedly been
accused of making end runs around Congress by deciding which laws to
enforce, including the decision not to deport illegal immigrants who may
have been allowed to stay in the United States had Congress passed the
“Dream Act.”
21. The hacking of Sharyl Attkisson’s computer: It’s
not clear who hacked the CBS reporter’s computer as she investigated
the Benghazi scandal, but the Obama administration and its allies had
both the motive and the means to do it.
22. An American Political Prisoner: The sudden
decision to arrest Nakoula Basseley Nakoula on unrelated charges after
protests in the Arab world over his anti-Muslim video is an
extraordinarily suspicious coincidence. “We’re going to go out and we’re
going to prosecute the person that made that video,” Hillary Clinton
allegedly told the father of one of the ex-SEALs killed in Banghazi.
23. Get rid of inconvenient IGs: Corporation for
National and Community Service Inspector General Gerald Walpin was fired
in 2009 as he fought wasteful spending and investigated a friend of
Obama’s, Sacramento Mayor and former NBA player Kevin Johnson. The White
House says Walpin was incompetent.
24. Influence peddling: An investigation is underway
of Alejandro Mayorkas, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services, who has been nominated by Obama for the number two post at
the Department of Homeland Security. Mayorkas may have used his position
to unfairly obtain U.S. visas for foreign investors in company run by
Hillary Clinton’s brother, Anthony Rodman.
An election for President and Commander in Chief of the Military must strive to be above reproach. Our public institutions must give the public confidence that a presidential candidate has complied with the election process that is prescribed by our Constitution and laws. It is only after a presidential candidate satisfies the rules of such a process that he/she can expect members of the public, regardless of their party affiliations, to give him/her the respect that the Office of President so much deserves.
