Cheney Rejects Obama’s IRS Story On Fox: ‘Cannot Conceive’ Of Agents Acting On Their Own
After defending the NSA surveillance programs earlier On Fox News Sunday, former Vice President Dick Cheney went on to criticize the IRS and James Rosen scandals, in particular citing the IRS activity as “one of the worst abuses of power imaginable.”
“It clearly was used for political purposes,” Cheney said, adding, “I cannot conceive of a situation in which it didn’t come from higher up.”
While Cheney stopped short of implicating the White House in the IRS’ nefarious affairs, he did point out that the organization had not been so errant when he oversaw its agents regulating wage-price controls, and intimated that the change in leadereship had had a deleterious effect on the agency’s moral compass.
“I have trouble believing that the professionalism that I’d observed in that organization would be doing that,” Cheney said. “Some guys on their own, picking out a political class—” (Cheney was interrupted when his phone rang. “That’s the first time on Fox News Sunday!” host Chris Wallace said.)
Invoking the Justice Department’s listing of Fox News Washington Correspondent James Rosen as a possible coconspirator in a leak investigation, Wallace asked if the Vice President saw any connection to his own administration’s attempt to prosecute the New York Times over articles published by James Risen (not Rosen).
“I was not advocating prosecuting Risen,” Cheney said. “I did think the New York Times violated the law. There is indeed a provision that says it’s a felony offense to publish information about communications intelligence in the United States. It’s never been enforced, but it’s a felony calling for a sentence of ten years.”
Wallace asked if Cheney would have prosecuted the New York Times if he’d been allowed.
“I urged that we ought to investigate. Either the law is the law or it isn’t. Now, it’s never been enforced. Nobody ever had the nerve to go after the New York Times. But it’s on the books…Now, admittedly I’m a hard rock on some of these things. It’s probably wise that others said no. But there is a provision of law, and it’s very clear…But it wasn’t aimed at the reporter.”
Watch the segment here, via Fox News:
