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Articles by Stephen Dinan

Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 25, 2015, before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms hearing on the IRS. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) ** FILE **

IRS exposed taxpayers’ info through shoddy emails: Audit

A surprising number of IRS employees are sending unencrypted emails containing personal taxpayer information to private accounts, putting that information at risk of being stolen, the agency's inspector general said Thursday.

November 17, 2016
"This is what we put up all the time from the agencies," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. (Associated Press)

IRS aware of tea party targeting as early as 2011, watchdog finds

The IRS knew agents were targeting tea party groups through "guilt by association" as far back as 2011, according to new documents released Wednesday by Judicial Watch that show the tax agency was deeply skeptical of all the new conservative groups emerging under President Obama's watch.

November 16, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. participates in a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, after he unanimously won his GOP colleagues' votes for another term at the helm of the House. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

GOP avoids earmark blowup, but Paul Ryan sets up 2017 showdown

House Republicans shelved a debate to restore earmarks Wednesday after fierce pushback from conservative groups who said it would be a betrayal of voters who elected Donald Trump, and a final appeal from House Speaker Paul D. Ryan.

November 16, 2016
Security personnel stand at entrance of 21 Club Restaurant, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, in New York, where President-elect Donald Trump is having dinner. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Trump team says he didn’t intend to mislead press

The transition team didn't intend to mislead the press when President-elect Donald Trump went out for dinner and ditched the reporters who are supposed to be allowed to cover him, Mr. Trump's former campaign manager said Wednesday.

November 16, 2016
A view of the National Mall, looking at the Washington Monument, from Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Republicans seek to bring back earmarks after past problems

A trio of respected Republicans is pushing for the return of some earmarks to Capitol Hill, saying it's time to restore Congress' full power of the purse — and drawing passionate pushback from conservative groups who say the GOP would betray its voters if it returned to pork barrel spending.

November 15, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. listens during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, after a House Republican leadership meeting. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Paul Ryan kept by GOP as House speaker

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan was unanimously re-elected Tuesday by Republicans to be their party leader and to be speaker in the new Congress next year.

November 15, 2016
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., participates in a ceremonial swearing-in for three representatives-elects in the Speaker's ceremonial office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. House Republicans seem ready to keep Ryan and other leaders in their posts as a GOP exultant over Donald Trump’s White House triumph prepares to push year-end bills through the lame-duck Congress and focus on a bolder agenda next year. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Paul Ryan says House is on board Trump agenda

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said the hubbub over incoming White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon is a distraction, saying President-elect Donald Trump will be judged not on his personnel but on what he does for the economy and government.

November 15, 2016
President Barack Obama pretends to wipe a tear during his speech at Macomb County Community College Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, in Warren, Mich. The president said he's "a little freaked out" that his oldest daughter, Malia, just started her senior year in high school. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Obama’s legacy: Democratic losses, party chaos

As their majorities in Congress slipped away and they ceded the lead in governorships over the past six years, President Obama and his top lieutenants comforted themselves with the changing demographics that they said would make it impossible for a Republican to win the top job. Donald Trump punctured that belief in stunning fashion last week.

November 14, 2016
Stephen Bannon, center left, back, campaign CEO for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, looks on as Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Kellyanne Conway ‘offended’ by criticism of Trump’s Bannon pick

Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway bristled Monday at charges incoming White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon leans too far to the right, saying she was "offended" at the accusations and she wouldn't have been part of an operation with him if she'd seen him catering to the "alt-right."

November 14, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump delivered a message on "60 Minutes" on Sunday to those reported to be committing acts of violence in his name: "Stop it." (Associated Press)

Trump promises pro-life, pro-gun judges, will keep some Obama policies in place

President-elect Donald Trump began to add caveats to a host of his campaign promises, saying in an interview aired Sunday that he will work to keep some of the more popular parts of Obamacare intact and focus his deportation efforts on criminals — the same policy that President Obama claims to have.

November 13, 2016
Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, right, speaks as President-elect Donald Trump gives his acceptance speech during his election night rally, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Reince Priebus named Trump chief of staff

Reince Priebus, the man who navigated treacherous GOP political waters over the last two years to emerge with a victorious presidential candidate, will be the new White House chief of staff, the Trump transition team announced Sunday.

November 13, 2016