Censored! IRS Scandal Being Buried by Big Three Networks

by Geoffrey Dickens

The Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) networks have colluded with the Obama administration to censor the latest IRS scandal news.

The following is a list of key developments in the IRS scandal and how many days it has been since they were discussed, if at all, by the Big Three on their morning and evening news shows:

Update, Monday, July 29: Stephanopoulos and Crowley Skip IRS Scandal with Lew, Gregory Cues Up Talking Points; Only Wallace Pursues

Latest story counts as of Tuesday morning July 30:

IRS Employees Ordered to Send Tea Party Applications to Office of Obama Political Appointee

On July 17, as reported by CNSNews.com, a letter released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform reported that IRS employees were ordered to send Tea Party tax-exemption applications to the office of the IRS's Chief Counsel, which was headed by William Wilkins, who at that time was the only Obama political appointee at the IRS. In 2008 Wilkins led the defense team of Obama pastor Reverend Jeremiah Wright when his church's tax-exempt status was being investigated.

Number of days with no story on ABC or NBC: 13 (CBS finally ran a story on the July 24Evening News)

IRS Chief Counsel Meets with Obama Just Days Before New Screening Rules Implemented

■ On July 24 FoxNews.com reported that Obama political appointee and head of the office of the IRS's Chief Counsel William Wilkins "may have met with President Obama just days before his office put out new guidance on how the agency screens conservative groups."

Number of days with no network story: 6

Justice Department Refuses to Investigate Government Employees Improperly Accessing Tax Records of Candidates and Donors

■ On July 15, as reported by the Washington Times, tax records of political candidates (The Times later reported on July 17 one of the candidates included one-time GOP Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell) and certain donors were improperly accessed by government officials, and that the Justice Department has, so far, refused to prosecute the offenders.

Number of days with no network story: 15

Records on Tax Investigation of Republican Senate Candidate Mysteriously Destroyed

■ On July 23, as reported by the Washington Times, "Delaware state officials told Congress that they likely destroyed the computer records that would show when and how often they accessed Christine O'Donnell's personal tax records and acknowledged that a newspaper article was used as the sole justification for snooping into the former GOP Senate candidate's tax history."

Number of days with no network story: 7

Businessman With Insider Ties Awarded $500 Million in IRS Contracts

■ On June 25, as reported by Politico.com, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee revealed that $500 million of IRS contracts had been awarded to Strong Castle Inc., because its president Braulio Castillo had a "cozy relationship" with a top agency official.

CBS's Nancy Cordes, on the June 25 Evening News, first reported on the Castillo story and noted that he filed for a disability rating with the Veterans Administration, citing a foot injury he received while playing sports at a military prep school. It was this point that caused a confrontation between Castillo and Iraq war veteran and Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth at a June 26 hearing. The showdown spurred NBC to cover the story as well. But not even the anger from a prominent Democrat could get ABC to report on the Castillo scandal.

In total the Big Three ran a total of six stories on the Castillo scandal. CBS ran five stories on Castillo, while NBC aired just one full story on the Castillo/Duckworth confrontation on the June 27 Today show. NBC's Lisa Myers made a brief mention of Castillo as part of June 26 Today show story that dealt with other IRS scandals.

The last Castillo stories were on the June 27 editions of NBC's Today show and CBSThis Morning.

Number of days since last network story: 33

Despite Sequester, IRS Still Plans to Give Out $70 Million in Employee Bonuses

■ On June 19, as reported by The Hill, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley slams the IRS for its plan to dole out $70 million in employee bonuses in spite of sequester agreement. CBS was the only network to report on the bonuses offering just two briefs on the June 20 edition of This Morning.