Elijah Cummings was his characteristically restrained self last week when he accused Republicans who voted to hold former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of putting themselves “on the same page of history books with [Joe] McCarthy.”
From the start of the investigations into the IRS targeting of conservative organizations, Cummings has accused Republicans of a witch-hunt. But recently unearthed e-mails highlight his own involvement with the IRS, contradicting his earlier denials.
During hearings back in February, Cummings objected to testimony from the founder and lawyer for True the Vote, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting voter fraud. When attorney Cleta Mitchel said the group was looking into whether Cummings had put her client on the federal “radar screen,” Cummings called her statement “absolutely incorrect and untrue.”
Later, the Maryland Democrat also objected when founder Catherine Engelbrecht suggested Cummings had helped spur the IRS investigation. Again Cummings interjected. Asked whether he was willing to assure Engelbrecht “he did not direct nor his staff direct anyone at the IRS to investigate you,” Cummings replied, “I can assure you of that.”
E-mails from his office tell a different story. They show Cummings staffers communicating with the IRS about True the Vote several times between 2012 and 2013. They also show Lois Lerner trying to get information Cummings requested. Not only that, just days after Cummings demanded information about True the Vote training, the IRS made the same request.
In other words, Cummings was right all along about a witch-hunt. What he didn’t tell us was he was one of the hunters.