LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A scandal-free Obama administration? Hardly

In the current political climate, not many comments surprise me any longer. Yet today, when a contributor claimed to [be] maintaining objectivity and then remarking that the Obama administration had been scandal-free for eight years, my orange juice came back through my nose. I really have no idea where Ms. Carol Hotte [“Trump’s accusation,” Letters to the editor, March 11] has been for those years, but it certainly wasn’t being objective and paying attention to what was taking place. That lie was first told by Obama himself and has become a poster topic for the DNC. Though it seems that being a Democrat means you’re never having to say you’re sorry, I’d like to point out just a few of the scandals that are owned by the Obama administration: Shall we start at the beginning? How about the “stimulus” heist where almost a trillion dollars was siphoned from the Treasury and sent to states to provide for “shovel-ready” jobs. Most of this money was quickly absorbed into government con jobs and general funds never to be seen again. Operation Fast and Furious: This is where the Attorney General, Eric Holder, decided that he’d sell guns to the Mexican drug cartels and see just who was using them. While doing that, the Democratic Party began declaring war on legal, legitimate gun dealers along the southwestern border, implying that they were selling those guns illegally. Only when a whistleblower came forward, and after a border patrolman was murdered, did it come to light this was a botched plan orchestrated by the Obama Administration. Eric Holder held in contempt of Congress: For continuing his lies, lying to Congress and trying to obfuscate his culpability during Fast and Furious, he was found to be in contempt, though never prosecuted, as the Democrats were in control of the Senate and Obama protected him. ObamaCare: This has nothing to do with whether you believe in it or not. As written, the Supreme Court, by the slimmest of majorities, ruled that it was a tax and would have to comply with those provisions. Obama stood on national television and assured the public that if you preferred your current plan, you could keep it. It was so sloppily written that, in violation of the law, [it] was modified several times by the Obama administration without contact or consent with Congress. There have been 70 changes submitted to the law since 2016. Spying on Journalists: This was perhaps the most egregious violation of the U.S. Constitution ever carried out. The media, in sucking up to Obama, came close to ending their love affair when they were caught confiscating files from the Associated Press. The corrupt Attorney General claimed to have simply forgotten to notify Congress that he’d authorized a wiretap on a FOX news reporter. The IRS Scandal: Though Democrats and the media did their best to smother this story, it was revealed that the tax agency was targeting and denying pro-life and “Tea Party” groups. Increased scrutiny and requirements were made to virtually eliminate their claims to tax exemption, and their records were subjected to greater audits than liberal groups. It was so brazen that the supervisor took the 5th Amendment in testifying to Congress. Obama’s Justice Department refused to prosecute the supervisor. Benghazi: Does much else need to be said after the name is listed? This is the event that Hillary Clinton and Obama set up a clandestine operation, sending a U.S. Ambassador into harm’s way, and then, completely abandoning him. Along with the Ambassador, three SEAL specialists working for the CIA were also killed. Afterwards, Obama sent a spokesperson out to parrot the message that the riots that spawned the torture and murder were a result of some obscure computer video. Hillary Clinton’s secret server: Again, the title is pretty descriptive, and though Democrats, media, and Obama tried to play it down as nothing big, subsequent FBI finding showed they’d all lied to Congress. To date, no one has been prosecuted. The Pigford Scandal: This one received virtually no media attention, but a lawsuit under the Clinton Administration set up a fund to compensate black farmers who’d been unfairly excluded from the marketplace. The discrimination was found in less than 20 farmers during that time, but under Obama, those numbers grew exponentially, with even some members of Congress benefitting. Millions of dollars went to people who’d had no claim under the original lawsuit. NSA Spy Scandal: This is another one where, thanks to the media, the blame was cast elsewhere. Still, the fact remains that one Eric Snowden was able to steal reams of sensitive and classified matter and escape the country. Obama and his administration repeatedly lied as to the magnitude of the event. Iran Nuclear Deal and Ransom Payments: Right up until the end, Obama was wheeling and dealing to subvert America. Through John Kerry, clandestine deals were made with the Iranians, and actually, money was laundered secretively through other countries to pay ransom for hostages held illegally in Iran. The GSA Scandal: The General Services Administration was found to be squandering ridiculous amounts of cash on expensive and lavish parties, as well as wasteful projects. Though they were found out, the Obama administration never fired anyone. Solyndra: Synonymous with political cronyism, Obama shoved billions of taxpayer dollars into the perfect con job. Hiding under his pet “green projects,” the company never accomplished a single thing other than provide its executives a “golden parachute” to escape before bankruptcy. Barrycades: This was his biggest insult to military veterans and exhibited his open disdain for them. In 2013, when a budget deal couldn’t be brokered, he ordered government shutdowns that included the open-air monuments on the Mall. World War II veterans were being flown in to visit the World War II Memorial and were greeted by barricades and security people who tried preventing them from entering the venue. Fortunately, several members of Congress intervened and escorted the veterans into “their” monument. These are but a few of the scandals that were laden throughout Obama’s tenure. I’m not mentioning his personal invectives into domestic areas like Trevon Martin, Michael Brown, or his professor friend who’d been arrested for disorderly conduct. For anyone to say that his administration was “scandal free,” they must be visually impaired.

George Roof Magnolia