Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The IRS subjected conservative groups already granted tax-exempt status to additional scrutiny during the 2012 election cycle


thehill via Instapundit

Elijah Cummings is trying everything he can to push back and hold the tide, here is what he says about Darrell Issa expanding the probe into IRS treatment of organizations already recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS  that appear to have faced questionable treatment by the IRS:

* Issa is pushing a political narrative by picking choice quotes and disregarding contrary evidence.

* not conducting a responsible investigation focused on implementing real reforms

* urges to focus on obtaining the full set of facts rather than making unsubstantiated allegations. 

Cummings said that in a letter to Issa on Monday

The Leadership Institute was audited in 2011 and 2012 for activites in 2008 election year, even though it had functioned as tax-exempt since 1979. It faced invasive questions including questions about intern, where they went to work. Ultimately turning over to IRS more than 23,000 pages of documents at a cost of $50,000 (jeeze, that's $2.00 a page) 

Organizations already tax exempt appear to have faced questionable treatment by the IRS, Issa wrote to Treasury Inspector general 

Cummings countered bravely

* groups were referred to the special unit on a case-by-case basis
* unit did not automatically mean an audit would occur
* referrals to the group were actually meant to facilitate an approval, not burden the organization with additional inquiries.
* liberal groups cam under the same scrutiny

Jack Lew reiterated progressive groups were improperly targeted alongside conservative ones, adding there is no evidence of political pressure

More details at the Hill. 

21 comments:

edutcher said...

The Asterisk President.

Slowly, the truth comes out.

The Dude said...

Yay!

Hagar said...

The IRS did not aubject these groups to "additional scrutiny;" they assaulted them with unreasonable demands and harassment in an attempt to intimidate them and force them off the electoral field.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

This is why you don't want to concentrate your ball-bearing factories in Schweinfurt.

rhhardin said...

Hit the guy on the head and take his stuff is a viable economic system, just one with a lower standard of living.

Cody Jarrett said...

Hit the guy on the head and take his stuff is a viable economic system, just one with a lower standard of living.

Depends on which guy, which stuff, and how often.


I think the recent Cannes jewel thieves are having a pretty good standard of living this morning.

And the Oceans Eleven guys. They all had fancy suits and stuff.

Dante said...

Ultimately turning over to IRS more than 23,000 pages of documents at a cost of $50,000 (jeeze, that's $2.00 a page)

Questions such as "Where did your interns go to work" might be expensive to discover.

Jack Lew reiterated progressive groups were improperly targeted alongside conservative ones, adding there is no evidence of political pressure

So much the better. Isn't a primary reason of this inquiry to derail IRS implementation as the information gathering organ for Obamacare? I simply can't imagine what progressives would think if Republicans suggested using the IRS for gathering sensitive health-care data.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

This is just a phony scandal, Barack said so.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If the minority party roles were reverse, the voice of the minority, in that case the republican, would hardly be considered news.

Why is what Elijah Cummings saying news is only more evidence of what we are facing.

Matt Sablan said...

Are they still hoping that a few liberal groups being asked a few questions will be likened to numerous right-wing groups being audited or chilled into silence/the poor house?

Michael Haz said...

If there was nothing to hide, then Cummings would have said "Hey, no problem. Just tell us what you need and we'll provide the information."

But he didn't. And there is PLENTY to hide. The IRA has bean weaponized to harass Republicans and conservative organizations in order to threaten potential candidates away from running, release otherwise-private information about candidates (e.g Romney's tax returns), and suppress voter turnout by groups like the Tea party.

It's fascist behavior against American citizens by a government agency that should be neutral, but clearly is not.

And they lie about it.

Michael Haz said...

IRS, not IRA.

Michael Haz said...

Aside to Lem: Thanks for making the print darker. It's much easier to read! Now how about agreeing on a font and pitch all your writers will use?

JAL said...

Jack Lew reiterated progressive groups were improperly targeted alongside conservative ones, adding there is no evidence of political pressure

I am still waiting to see the evidence of the progressive groups being improperly targeted. But I am not holding my breath.

Probably everyone on this list can think of some progressive group that needs to be stripped of its 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status.

bagoh20 said...

They are not going to let go of the gun, they will shoot innocent bystanders before that happens. They need clobbered into unconsciousness at the ballot box. There is no other way.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Thanks for making the print darker. It's much easier to read! Now how about agreeing on a font and pitch all your writers will use?

They are hardly "my writers". We are very lucky they are doing what they are doing.

bagoh20 said...

Everybody should use 72 point Jokerman. It's my standard font for business communications, and widely accepted as righteous.

Aridog said...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

This is just a phony scandal, Barack said so.

All scandals in this administration have a very short shelf life...14 days maximum. After that, it is...

What difference at this point does it make?

Scandals exceeding shelf life are "Phony" just like the Obamster says.

Aridog said...

JAL said...

Probably everyone on this list can think of some progressive group that needs to be stripped of its 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status.

Yeah...like Organizing for Action that is a newly minted, in less than 30 days in January 2013, 501(C)(4) instantly converted from the campaign organization at "barackobama dot com" without so much as changing the URL.

The issues cited are how much political action is carried out by all these 501(c)(4) outfits. Whot? Who thinks Organizing for Action is not 100% political action?

Today, our government serves us a turd burger, tells us it is a Delmonico, and we creepy ass crackas believe it?

Crimso said...

I thought I saw a news report recently about someone in the WH (who Wilkins met with) resigning 2 weeks prior to the IRS admitting to their wrongdoing (they wouldn't have apologized if it wasn't wrong). And that the guy in question left the country and hasn't come back. Anybody checked the Moscow airport?

Hagar said...

Stonewall Jack to the contrary, there is no evidence published that shows progressive groups were "targeted;" just that someone put the names of, I think, 6 such groups on a "BOLO" list along with the 100+ "tea party" groups. I have not seen anything to indicate any of these progressive groups were ever subjected to any "enhanced scrutiny" of any kind.