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Rep. Thomas Massie ( https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie ) , who is partially responsible for this: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/06/eff-statement-massie-l...

is going to serve on a hearing about lost IRS emails soon.

Supposedly, a "crashed computer" caused 2-years worth of Lois Lerner's emails to be lost, though many emails were recovered through "other sources."

He wants to know, does anyone have any questions he should ask the IRS? He says on Facebook that he will personally review all questions sent to him.

Here's a set of questions that anyone in IT who thinks they might ever be the focus of a similar frenzy might want to consider:

http://sharylattkisson.com/lois-lerners-lost-emails-question...

(basically, it is a long list mostly of: what did you know, when did you know it, and how did you document that?)

Personally, re the e-mails, I'm less inclined to blame malice, and would look to incompetence, aided by years of patchwork backup and support processes.

Ask him if he still wants to get rid of healthcare for poor people. How are you guys linking to tea party assholes?
So, for people who aren't tea-party morons, here's what actually happened:

The irs keeps 6 months of emails on tape; when investigators asked for emails in mid-2013, tape was available through late 2012.

Lerner's computer crashed in mid-2011, and there is contemporaneous documentation of this crash.

2011 < 2013, it's not as if she could know that her emails would be requested in the future.

Some emails have been recovered the obvious way -- by querying the other parties.

one of many (nonmoronic) sources: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/06/yet-another-ir...

> The irs keeps 6 months of emails on tape; when investigators asked for emails in mid-2013, tape was available through late 2012.

IRS guidelines state that official records, in accordance with the Federal Records Act, must be retained (at the very least archived as a hardcopy). So the IRS is institutionally violating their own guidelines, as well as federal law?

> 2011 < 2013, it's not as if she could know that her emails would be requested in the future.

Except for the letter sent by Chairman Camp to then-Commissioner Schulman riiiiight before the crash: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/non_6103_ltr_fin...

I'm not interested in the political side of this whatsoever, but you have to realize that Mother Jones is about as non-partisan as the National Review is[1] and is not going to convince those who would like a more neutral view. I'm not saying this analysis is wrong but could have picked a better source IMO...

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Modern_liberal_America...

> it's not as if she could know that her emails would be requested in the future.

Really? You do something illegal, or unethical and don't expect anyone to ever come check up on you?

The IRS should be saving emails forever, or at the very minimum for 3 years.

Computer failure, and they recycled the hard drives?! For legal reasons, most companies I've worked for remove and store the hard-drive from people's computers for several years. It's hard to believe a government agency wouldn't have similar data-retention rules.

Also: "In any case, IRS can see the NSA for a good, high quality copy."

I was thinking this as I read the post.

They store broken hard drives for years? Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Who knows when someone will need to try and end you career as a civil servant to advance their chances with hillbilly racists in a midterm... so keep those broken drives for ever!

Of course, the drives could have info about the liberal nonprofits that they targeted, too... but that wouldn't help any of these bat shit crazy house reps would it?

There's a wide-range of workstation support managers out there.

I've worked in a small investment office that saved the drives for a couple years after the pull. I've been on a team in a government office that was literally "re-image everything, screw data" crazy. It really depends at who's at the helm and the policies that are in place.

You assholes can downvote all you tucking want. Its still republican bullshit.
Are you shitting me? Stockman is a grade a douchebag. Let me guess you still think that the IRS scandal is real? Also, I love how not paying your fair share is patriotic somehow.

This site has become a fucking joke.

Your tone is less than constructive and I agree with the down-votes.

But I also have to agree with your assessment given the contents of the article. The bill typifies the sort of "you're so stupid/corrupt/ridiculous we can't even talk with each other" attitude that is causing so many problems of late. "Made me chuckle at those other people" does not constitute good leadership.

edit: the title of the bill is "The Dog Ate My Tax Receipts Act". Tell me that's not some juvenile and unbecoming of a representative of the government of the united states.

He doesn't expect it to actually pass, it's a way of shaming the IRS.

How else should he do it? A strongly worded letter?

Steve Stockman is "less than constructive". Anyone who would link to his site is brain dead. Just Google some of the crazy hatred this guy has put out there...