Obama walking a familiar path on IRS allegations

BY TOM RAUM

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s hardly the first time a White House and the Internal Revenue Service have been targets for claims of political meddling and bias.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s frequent use of the IRS as a weapon of political retribution is well-documented. And President Richard Nixon famously subjected those on his “enemies list” to tax audits. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton all faced IRS political controversies.

So far, there’s little — if anything — to suggest that President Barack Obama’s White House officials had advance knowledge of the IRS targeting of conservative groups. But Republicans are trying to link him to it anyway.

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http://www.salon.com/2013/05/16/obama_walking_a_familiar_path_on_irs_allegations/