A Department of Justice prosecutor and Obama donor spent more than 1,500 hours investigating the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, Judicial Watch reported.
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to find out how much time Barbara Bosserman had spent looking into the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups.
"As compiled from the Interactive Case Management System, Ms. Bosserman’s investigative efforts totaled 1,529.25 hours," according to the letter.
Federal Election Commission records show Bosserman contributed $6,750 to Barack Obama campaigns and the Democratic National Committee between 2004 and 2012. She made twelve contributions to Obama for America from 2008 to 2012.
Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch told the Washington Free Beacon that Judicial Watch learned Department of Justice employees were required to track their hours for administrative purposes, and given Bosserman’s position in the IRS investigation, believed this was in the public’s interest and filed a FOIA request in 2014.
"This has always been a fight. Few administrations are voluntarily transparent. The Obama administration said they would be the most transparent, but this has been marred by remarkable attacks on public's right to know," Fitton said.
Darryl Issa (R., Calif.) called Bosserman’s appointment "startling conflict of interest." Issa and Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) also asked that Bosserman be removed from the IRS investigation.
Bosserman was one of the leading attorneys looking into whether or not the Obama administration had been flagging conservative groups or groups with words like "Patriot" or "Tea Party" in the title for extra scrutiny. These groups waited longer after applying for their tax-exempt status, with the process being delayed for up to three years, or facing retaliation investigations from other agencies.
Fitton said this investigation, along with other Obama administration scandals, is a sign that this administration has been "the antithesis of transparency."
"It's a question of political desire. If they want to be transparent, there's no reason these records can't be released."