[lbo-talk] Repubs use US treasury to attack Kerry

[B.]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=19&u=/ap/treasury_politics

Treasury Analyzes Kerry's Tax Proposals 
Wed Mar 31, 8:00 PM ET  

By MARY DALRYMPLE, AP Tax Writer 

WASHINGTON - The Treasury Department (news - web
sites) directed career employees to analyze tax ideas
proposed by presidential candidate John Kerry (news -
web sites) and other Democrats after a request from
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, officials
said Wednesday. 

The Republican National Committee (news - web sites)
posted an interactive feature on its Web site that
attaches the largest of those cost estimates to
Kerry's plan to raise taxes paid by the wealthiest
taxpayers. 


Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said he was unaware of
anyone at the White House approving the Treasury's
decision to analyze Kerry's tax plan. 


Although federal law prohibits civil servants from
working on political campaigns while on duty, Treasury
Department attorneys concluded the work was
appropriate, Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols said. 


"That's a core functionality of the department,"
Nichols said. "Doing the analysis is proper, it's
prudent, it's appropriate. It's our obligation to do
it." 


The Treasury Department posted the analysis on its Web
site March 22, as first reported by The Wall Street
Journal. 

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