Politics

Shulman says he did not discuss IRS targeting during White House visits

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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WASHINGTON — Former Internal Revenue Service commissioner Douglas Shulman told members of the House Oversight Committee that he had not discussed the IRS targeting of conservative groups during his numerous visits to the White House.

Shulman, according to Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, visited the White House 118 times in 2010 and 2011, when he was IRS commissioner.

Asked whether, during his myriad of visits he had brought up the IRS targeting of conservative groups, Shulman said he did not, saying it would have been “inappropriate” to do so.

“No, I did not,” he said, saying that he went as “a nonpartisan, nonpolitical person trying to implement the laws that were on the books. It would have been inappropriate and nobody ever asked me.”

Under further questioning from Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Shulman said he did not remember at any point discuss Citizens United or 501(c)(4)s during his White House visits.

Shulman said the numerous visits in the log were likely when he met with the Office of Management and Budget, and that he would have met with “a variety of people” to discuss a variety of topics, primarily “the budget, general tax policy, and the Affordable Care Act.”

He also expressed skepticism that he had visited 118 times.

“I don’t accept the premise that there are 118 visits to the White House,” he objected. “That may or may not be true.”

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