Take note: IRS abuse was a Nixon impeachment article.

Take note: IRS abuse was a Nixon impeachment article.HT: HotAir.

: John Hinderaker notes the convenience of discovering this now rather than before the election:

So the harassment of conservative groups began much earlier than the IRS told us yesterday, when the agency’s spokesman said the improper conduct occurred “during the 2012 election.” As I wrote yesterday, I was skeptical about that since I had heard of the targeting of Tea Party groups by the IRS well before the 2012 campaign season.

It now appears that this is one more scandal that the Obama administration managed to keep quiet until after November’s election. One wonders how many more skeletons will come tumbling out of the closet, now that Obama is safely re-elected.

It’s still going to be a massive political problem for Obama, with a Congressional probe now all but guaranteed as yet another set of false talking points collapses.

Update: How big of a deal is abusing the tax system to gain an advantage over the political opposition? Don’t forget that it was one of the charges in the Watergate articles of impeachment:

Article 2

Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposed of these agencies.

This conduct has included one or more of the following:

1. He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavoured to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposed not authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be intitiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.

That doesn’t make Obama guilty of the actions, but it does demonstrate the seriousness of the violation — and the fact that the Obama administration tried to shortstop the IG report with yesterday’s dog-and-pony show also demonstrates just how bad they know this will be.

Update: A quote from the Nixon tapes about using the IRS against Nixon’s opponents — “There’s a lot of gold in them thar hills. … Are we looking into Muskie’s returns?”

Update: I missed this earlier, but the IG report will accuse the chief counsel of the IRS of knowing that the targeting was taking place, and saying nothing:

Among the other revelations, on Aug. 4, 2011, staffers in the IRS’ Rulings and Agreements office “held a meeting with chief counsel so that everyone would have the latest information on the issue.”

On Jan, 25, 2012, the criteria for flagging suspect groups was changed to, “political action type organizations involved in limiting/expanding Government, educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, social economic reform/movement,” the report says.

Hmmm.  Why would a chief counsel remain silent on such a development?

Update: Another point: if the chief counsel knew about this in August 2011, how likely would it have been that IRS Commissioner Shulman would have been unaware of it when he testified before Congress in March 2012?  I think it’s time for Shulman to find a very good lawyer and start looking to make a deal.

Update: William Jacobson reminds us (along with Daniel Drezner) that the IRS is now also the enforcer for ObamaCare.  Nothing to worry about there, though … right?Read the full story here.