Obama Met With IRS Union Boss Day Before Tea Party Targeting Began

The White House Visitors Log reveals that President Barack Obama met with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) union boss Colleen Kelley on March 31, 2010–the day before the Inspector General’s report says the IRS began its scheme to target tea party and conservative groups.

Furthermore, Obama appointed Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), to the Federal Salary Council whose job is to recommend pay raises for IRS and other federal employees one week after Obama and Democrats suffered historic midterm losses in 2010.  Two years later, Kelley’s 150,000-member union had raised $580,412, 94% of which went to Democratic federal candidates. The group also strongly backed Obama’s reelection. 

American Spectator reporter Jeffrey Lord, who uncovered the visitor log connection, says the March 31^st meeting between Obama and Kelley was not the only time Kelley met.

In fact, this record in the White House Visitors Log of a 12:30 Wednesday, March 31, 2010 meeting between President Obama and the IRS union’s Kelley was not unusual.

On yet another occasion, Kelley’s presence at the White House was followed shortly afterwards by the President issuing Executive Order 13522. A presidential directive that gave the anti-Tea Party NTEU — the IRS union — a greater role in the day-to-day operation of the IRS than it had already — which was considerable.

Since the IRS tea party targeting scandal erupted, Kelley has gone quiet. 

“NTEU is working to get the facts but does not have any specifics at this time,” Kelley told the Washington Post in an email. “Moreover, IRS employees are not permitted to discuss taxpayer cases. We cannot comment further at this time.”