verified
Thomas Minihan
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
The latest perspective published by the News Tribune authored by U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer is libel. I wonder if the News Tribune would publish this letter to the editor if I want to use defamatory language about his reputation as a representative? I certainly would hope not, but they don’t seem to have any concern about printing libelous remarks about what Secretary Janet Yellen said to his colleague Rep. William Timmons on Sept. 30 during the U.S. House Financial Services Committee. You can watch and listen to her actual remarks at (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2021-09-30/yellen-and-powell-asked-about-minting-a-1-trillion-coin)
He must not realize that he’s a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. If he did recognize this, he would not say that the IRS, “barely have the resources to do their current job,” he’d be proposing legislation to ensure that they have abundant resources to go after tax cheats, like Secretary Yellen offers in the video link above. (The U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 7, clause 1)
He makes two vastly different claims. The first, “If I said you are no longer allowed to buy your children clothes, order a meal or loan a loved one money without notifying the IRS?”, even though it’s not a question. And the second claim, “Another issue is the ability of financial institutions to report so many transactions.” His second claim is closer to the truth (not libel). The focus of his writing is about amending Section 6050W(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and that applies to a third-party settlement organization, not you, your children or your crazy Uncle Luc. He even said so, “but one of the many problematic provisions is a requirement for banks and credit unions to report to the IRS…”. I guess this provision was the most problematic for him because he still thinks he’s a banker, not someone representing Missouri in the U.S. Capitol. “In his most recent annual disclosure, Luetkemeyer disclosed a stake worth up to $25 million in St. Elizabeth Bancshares.” (https://readsludge.com/2021/03/25/the-congressman-represented-by-the-banking-lobby/) I wonder how much of that loot could be taken from him in a libel suit? Question mark. Additionally, will the News Tribune ever live up to its published “Core Values?”