IRS admits targeting conservative groups, apologizes

[green73]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service is apologizing for inappropriately flagging conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status.

Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, said organizations that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status were singled out for additional reviews.

Lerner said the practice, initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati, was wrong and she apologized while speaking at a conference in Washington.

Many conservative groups complained during the election that they were being harassed by the IRS. They said the agency asked them an inordinate number of questions to justify their tax-exempt status.

Certain tax-exempt charitable groups can conduct political activities but it cannot be their primary activity.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/irs-apologizes-targeting-conservative-groups

[TonySutton]

I wonder how many people were looked at more closely after making political donations.

[Seraphim]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-10/irs-admits-apologizes-targeting-conservatives-during-2012-election

What a fucking racket.

[jkr]

arrest these people, PLEASE!

where is the DOJ?

WHERE...

BUSY KILLING AND EN$LAVING MEXICANS...

[Weston White]

Here, please allow me to fix that article: "Lerner said the practice, initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati at the required instruction of high-level supervisors and their managers, was wrong and she apologized—for the practice being made public—while speaking at a conference in Washington."

[Anti Federalist]

And this goes right here:


IRS to Spy on Our Shopping Records, Travel, Social Interactions and Health Records

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?413091-IRS-to-Spy-on-Our-Shopping-Records-Travel-Social-Interactions-and-Health-Records


But...but...I'm wasn't doing anything wrong.

[jkr]

THE ANTI-CHRISTS ARE CERTAINLY BUSY...

[Lucille]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-10/irs-admits-apologizes-targeting-conservatives-during-2012-election


Just because you are a conservative and paranoid, doesn't mean the IRS is not after you. And, assuming the AP was not hacked again, this is precisely what happened. In a stunning disclosure, the supposedly impartial Internal Revenue Service has admitted and apologized for flagging and subjecting to extra reviews, conservative political groups - those that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" - during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. No such privilege was apparently afforded to groups identifying themselves as "liberal."
[...]
It does make one wonder, just how far the IRS goes to make the lives of conservatives a living hell: will all 2012 tax audits be those who on their facebook profile admit to liking Ron Paul? And just how far does the IRS invade personal privacy to determine how any one tax filer is indeed, a "conservative?" But don't worry - aside from the obvious persecutions, America is a free country for one and all.

One wonders: how long until "conservatives" engage in "tax-avoiding" blowback and really give the IRS reason to persecute them. Alternatively, one wonders the IRS is simply limited by logistical considerations, due to the notional difference in number of actual tax filings submitted by "conservatives" vs "liberals" and the preponderance of one group over the other...

[Lucille]

IRS Admits Targeting Tea Party Groups During 2012 Elections (Updated with Actual Letters)
http://reason.com/blog/2013/05/10/irs-admits-targeting-tea-party-groups-du


In early 2012 several conservative groups of the Tea Party persuasion reported they were getting strange letters from the IRS demanding more information than they believed typical for 501(c)4 non-profit political groups — sometimes hundreds of pages more. Fox News reported back then:




In letters sent from IRS offices in Cincinnati earlier this month, chapters including the Waco (Texas) Tea Party and the Ohio Liberty Council were asked to provide a list of donors, identify volunteers, financial support for and relationships with political candidates and parties, and even printed copies of their Facebook pages.

"Some of what they (the IRS) asked was reasonable, but there were some requests on there that were strange," Toby Marie Walker, president of the Waco Tea Party told FoxNews.com. "It makes you wonder if they do this to groups like ACORN or other left-leaning groups.”

Were they really being targeted or were they just being paranoid about tiresome, exhaustive but actually common IRS bureaucratic meddling? Turns out they were being targeted, after all. Today, an IRS head admitted as much and apologized. [...]

I’m sure a stern memo was sent out to all involved.

(UPDATE: Click through to see some actual letters courtesy of the American Center for Law and Justice)

Letter from the IRS to Tea Party organizations (http://www.scribd.com/doc/140633659/Letter-from-the-IRS-to-Tea-Party-organizations)

[Lucille]

Greenwald tweets (https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/332896420841529348): The IRS apologizes for targeting Tea Party groups, but the NYT Editors praised them for doing so last year http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/opinion/the-irs-does-its-job.html?_r=0

[tod evans]

Can't defund the bastards, they just print money..

Can't disarm 'em, they've bought enough ammo to shoot every man, woman and child 10X..

Can't change regimes, the elections are rigged and influential positions are lifetime appointments..


Time to think about what can be done...

[sluggo]

My God, can we just do away with the IRS already?

They've inflicted more death, pain, and misery on the American people than any "terrorist" could ever dream of.

[Cowlesy]

Greenwald tweets (https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/332896420841529348): The IRS apologizes for targeting Tea Party groups, but the NYT Editors praised them for doing so last year http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/opinion/the-irs-does-its-job.html?_r=0

Glenn never forgets.

I love it.

[tod evans]

My God, can we just do away with the IRS already?

They've inflicted more death, pain, and misery on the American people than any "terrorist" could ever dream of.



Good idea!

Got a plan?

[Anti Federalist]

Can't defund the bastards, they just print money..

Can't disarm 'em, they've bought enough ammo to shoot every man, woman and child 10X..

Can't change regimes, the elections are rigged and influential positions are lifetime appointments..


Time to think about what can be done...

Whatever you do though, don't march in their face in an act of civil disobedience...it might piss them off.

[Seraphim]

1) buy/gold silver and render the USD in it's current form obsolete

2) attempt every means of State nullification as possible

3) sacrifice some time (dealing with the agents) by deferring payment to the IRS for as long as possible. Make the fuckers work for your money.

4) BUY SOME PHYSICAL PRECIOUS METALS. It's incredible how much leverage each ounce of gold/silver in the COMEX creates. The COMEX (JPM) is an agent for the USD. If they own all the leverage - you are fucked. DELEVERAGE THEM BY REMOVING THE METALS FROM THEIR HANDS.


Good idea!

Got a plan?

[jtstellar]

lerner said lerner said lerner said lerner said

since when in the case of a wrongdoing all it matters is quoting what the wrongdoer says. whenever shit hits the fan, just hire a blahblah-mba porn industry dropout to be the head female apologist PR person, and 'journalists' would be putting out lerner said lerner said lerner said lerner said

[oyarde]

THE ANTI-CHRISTS ARE CERTAINLY BUSY...

Yes , yes they are .

[HOLLYWOOD]

Criminal Bankers have created 2 political crime families to choose from in America: It's The Illusion of Choice

Jackie Chan slams US as the 'Most Corrupt' country in the world
http://www.careerkokua.org/career/article/images/actor4_3.jpg (http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=CTN14-rHwShWPM&tbnid=xQmygS0ZFjJNoM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.careerkokua.org%2Fcareer%2Far ticle%2F%3Fid%3D72&ei=RSqNUbfVJ-KCjALnxoGoBA&bvm=bv.46340616,d.cGE&psig=AFQjCNFp45eSwv1BFKQVpLpTplY2dYbIug&ust=1368292293913988)

[jkob]

How is this not a major scandal?

[Anti Federalist]

How is this not a major scandal?

Brawndo has electrolytes.

[HOLLYWOOD]

http://www.wfpl.org/post/mitch-mcconnell-demands-white-house-investigate-irs-targeting-conservative-groups


Mitch McConnell Demands White House Investigate IRS for Targeting Conservative Groups
By Phillip M. Bailey (http://www.wfpl.org/people/phillip-m-bailey) and The Associated Press

http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wfpl/files/styles/card_280/public/201212/Mitch_McConnell_official_portrait_112th_Congress.j pg (http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wfpl/files/201212/Mitch_McConnell_official_portrait_112th_Congress.j pg) U.S. Senate



Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is calling on the Obama administration to conduct a government-wide probe in the wake of an admission by the Internal Revenue Service that it targeted conservative groups.

The IRS apologized on Friday for inappropriately flagging conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status.
Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, said organizations that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status were singled out for additional reviews.


Lerner said the practice, initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati, was wrong and she apologized while speaking at a conference in Washington.

McConnell says the admission is proof that his earlier concerns were well founded, adding the White House needs to review the agency's actions.
"Now more than ever we need to send a clear message to the Obama administration that the First Amendment is non-negotiable, and that apologies after an election year are not an sufficient response to what we now know took place at the IRS," he says. "This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics."
Several conservative groups and Republican leaders complained of harassment by the IRS last year, arguing the federal agency was asking an inordinate amount of questions to justify their tax-exempt status.


During a fiery speech last summer (http://youtu.be/GZ48fQPbApE), McConnell said the Obama administration was unfairly targeting tea party groups (http://wfpl.org/post/mcconnell-obama-disclose-act-threaten-first-amendment) through the IRS. He later accused the White House of violating their First Amendment rights and compared the agency's actions to the Nixon administration.
At the time, the IRS denied it was examining those organizations based on their political views.
Certain tax-exempt charitable groups can conduct political activities but it cannot be their primary activity.

[tod evans]

[Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is calling on the Obama administration to conduct a government-wide probe

Dear Wolf,

Could you please watch the henhouse?




Barf!

[Philhelm]

More like, "Dear Joe Stack..."

[Lucille]

http://reason.com/blog/2013/05/10/rep-darrell-issa-irs-targeting-tea-party


After the IRS admitted today that Tea Party and "patriot" groups "were singled out for additional reviews" during the 2012 election, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) promised that his team would "aggressively follow up" on the revelations.

"The fact that Americans were targeted by the IRS because of their political beliefs is unconscionable,"Issa said in a statement released today. "The Committee will aggressively follow up on the IG report and hold responsible officials accountable for this political retaliation.”

Issa first investigated reports of the IRS targeting Tea Party groups in spring 2012. Back then, IRS Commissioner Douglas told Congress, "There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people."

Today, the IRS's Lois Lerner is singing a very different song: "That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review."

"In some cases," the AP reports in a story titled "IRS Apologizes for Targeting Conservative Groups," Tea Party organizations "were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases."

[Warlord]

Amash sits on that committee, maybe he'll perform better than yesterday.

[Lucille]

The IRS Explains Its Targeting Of Conservatives
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-10/irs-explains-its-targeting-conservatives


Courtesy of WaPo's Zachary Goldfarb, it appears the IRS, just like its former tax-challenged head Tim "TurboTax" Geithner, has some problems with simple math.

@Goldfarb The senior IRS official briefing the press just said: "I'm not good at math."

@Goldfarb In her defense, the IRS official, explained: "I'm a lawyer."

@Goldfarb The operative question to the IRS official is: What is one-quarter of 300?

@Goldfarb Bottom line: 75 groups with "tea party" or patriot" in name were selected for screening by IRS, with 225 other advocacy groups

[heavenlyboy34]

Brawndo has electrolytes.
LMAO!! :D

[ctiger2]

I'm a Paul supporter/donator and the IRS started an audit on my company Fall '11. After I had donated.

[Lucille]

Being statist hacks means never having to say you're sorry.

Will The New York Times Apologize for Applauding IRS Harassment of Tea Partiers?
http://reason.com/blog/2013/05/10/will-the-new-york-times-apologize-for-ap


As Scott Shackford and Mike Riggs have both noted, the Internal Revenue Service officially apologized today for singling out Tea Party and “patriot” groups for harassment during the 2012 election season. As you may recall, in March of last year The New York Times offered its own take on this growing scandal. In an unsigned editorial titled "The I.R.S. Does Its Job," the Times offered its unconditional support to the IRS, arguing that “Taxpayers should be encouraged by complaints from Tea Party chapters applying for nonprofit tax status,” and that, “Such I.R.S. inquiries are long overdue.”

I look forward to an apology from the editorial board of The New York Times for this unfortunate and misguided cheerleading of government abuse.

[Lucille]

Also, apology not accepted. Fuck ALL apologies.

[bunklocoempire]

Blow me.

http://s6.postimg.org/hcc5syf75/Donate.png

http://s6.postimg.org/phumswjxp/grumpy_cat.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/phumswjxp/)

"Apologize? Why?"

( Mark Potok as 'grumpy cat' -sorry grumpy cat)

[torchbearer]

http://news.yahoo.com/irs-apologizes-targeting-conservative-groups-144349480.html

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/nR_puV0a0apkok6m4rDtag--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Y2g9MzgzO2NyPTE7Y3c9NjE0O2R4PTA7ZH k9MDtmaT11bGNyb3A7aD0zODM7cT04NTt3PTYxNA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/theatlanticwire/The_Tea_Party_Gets_an-149ad6773ee60caee6780e144f723d0e


By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status, a top IRS official said Friday.

Organizations were singled out because they included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups.

In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.

"That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.

"The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added.

Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. After her talk, she told The AP that no high level IRS officials knew about the practice.

Agency officials found out about the practice last year and moved to correct it, the IRS said in a statement. The statement did not specify when officials found out.

About 75 groups were inappropriately targeted. None had their tax-exempt status revoked, Lerner said.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called on the White House to investigate.

"Today's acknowledgement by the Obama administration that the IRS did in fact target conservative groups in the heat of last year's national election is not enough," McConnell said. "I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not under way at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views."

Many conservative groups complained during the election that they were being harassed by the IRS. They accused the agency of frustrating their attempts to become tax exempt by sending them lengthy, intrusive questionnaires.

The forms, which the groups made available at the time, sought information about group members' political activities, including details of their postings on social networking websites and about family members.

Certain tax-exempt charitable groups can conduct political activities but it cannot be their primary activity.

IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told Congress in March 2012 that the IRS was not targeting groups based on their political views.

"There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people" who apply for tax-exempt status, Shulman told a House Ways and Means subcommittee.

Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush. His 6-year term ended in November. President Barack Obama has yet to nominate a successor. The agency is now being run by acting Commissioner Steven Miller.

"The Ways and Means Committee has persistently pushed the IRS to explain why it appeared to be unfairly targeting some political groups over others — a charge they repeatedly denied," said Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., chairman of the Ways and Means oversight subcommittee.

"The IRS's 'too little too late' response is unacceptable, and I will continue to work to ensure there are protections in place so no American, regardless of political affiliation, has their right to free speech threatened by the IRS," Boustany said.

[green73]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?413791-IRS-admits-targeting-conservative-groups-apologizes

[Warrior_of_Freedom]

They're sorry they got caught

[torchbearer]

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?413791-IRS-admits-targeting-conservative-groups-apologizes

sorry.

[torchbearer]

They're sorry they got caught

read the comments. i couldn't find an apologist for this crap when i read through them this morning.

[kathy88]

The Justice Department is all over this according to Mark Zlevin. One of his non profits was targeted when this came out he called and said two Justice Dept dudes came right away and interviewed him for almost an hour. I can't stand the ass but they may have fucked with the wrong non profit.

[Lucille]

Barack Milhouse Obama

@notjessewalker Some historical notes on the use of the IRS as a political weapon http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/contents/church/contents_church_reports_vol3.htm

[Peace&Freedom]

The big thing about this is the IRS has admitted it, likely to try to keep the hearings from coming down, and it affects a wide range of conservative groups (probably more than has been admitted). We start from a stance of righteous anger, instead of being derided as "conspiracy theorists" because many of us suspected this was true. This should be investigated up the ying yang. We'll probably find out the targeting preceded Obarry, and goes back to Bush or Clinton.

[Working Poor]

lerner said lerner said lerner said lerner said

since when in the case of a wrongdoing all it matters is quoting what the wrongdoer says. whenever shit hits the fan, just hire a blahblah-mba porn industry dropout to be the head female apologist PR person, and 'journalists' would be putting out lerner said lerner said lerner said lerner said



Iwant to apply for the porn industry drop-out position.

[anaconda]

"Apologize?" This sounds completely criminal.

[torchbearer]

"Apologize?" This sounds completely criminal.

as in, they just admitted to a crime for apologizing for doing something that is criminal?

[anaconda]

as in, they just admitted to a crime for apologizing for doing something that is criminal?

Sorry for my ambiguity. What I meant was that an apology should not suffice if what they apologized for were criminal acts. Prosecution should be added post apology.

[Brian4Liberty]

The Justice Department is all over this according to Mark Zlevin. One of his non profits was targeted when this came out he called and said two Justice Dept dudes came right away and interviewed him for almost an hour. I can't stand the ass but they may have fucked with the wrong non profit.

Yeah, he talked a lot about it today. I believe that his legal organization filed a complaint with an oversight agency, those are the guys that interviewed him, and looked into the allegations, so he is kind of taking credit for this coming out now. Good for him (and us) if he can expose this blatant political abuse of power. Maybe he will help us to abolish the income tax and the IRS next... ;)

[JK/SEA]

And this goes right here:


IRS to Spy on Our Shopping Records, Travel, Social Interactions and Health Records

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?413091-IRS-to-Spy-on-Our-Shopping-Records-Travel-Social-Interactions-and-Health-Records


But...but...I'm wasn't doing anything wrong.

then you don't have anything to fear Mr. ANTI-...FEDERALIST...

have a nice day. And God Bless America.

[DamianTV]

And this goes right here:


IRS to Spy on Our Shopping Records, Travel, Social Interactions and Health Records

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?413091-IRS-to-Spy-on-Our-Shopping-Records-Travel-Social-Interactions-and-Health-Records


But...but...I'm wasn't doing anything wrong.

In the eyes of Pepsi, purchasing a Coke is WRONG.

Right and Wrong is a Subjective Interpretation.

[torchbearer]

Sorry for my ambiguity. What I meant was that an apology should not suffice if what they apologized for were criminal acts. Prosecution should be added post apology.

if someone is proclaiming they are guilty, is prosecution really necessary? at least, in this one instance?
i'd like to skip straight to the public hangings.

[Lucille]

It seems the only thing preventing Obama from being impeached (over his various crimes, this one being the latest) is political will.


The IRS has been targeting conservatives groups for political purposes. Whenever someone offends the government, out come the tax charges. This is how they control the press. The pick up the phone and ask for a favor. If you dare say no, out comes the IRS to examine the paper of the individual. [...]

As long as there is income tax, there is nobody they cannot intimidate. They can prevent the free press and restrain any political rival. [...]

It is so essential to eliminate income tax because it impacts everyone and has always been abused for political purposes (http://armstrongeconomics.com/2013/05/11/irs-has-always-been-a-political-tool-against-the-press-individuals/). This is nothing new.

I hope Woodrow Wilson and his ilk are enjoying hell.

[Lucille]

IRS Scandal: What Does the US Congress Expect?
http://www.thedailybell.com/29088/Anthony-Wile-IRS-Scandal-What-Does-the-US-Congress-Expect


Scandal.

The IRS has been targeting US constitutionalists for further scrutiny by tagging certain names.

This is a big deal. Unlike other IRS problems throughout the years, this one features not just individual "enemies" but also a broad cross section of US citizens that are concerned about the growing unconstitutional actions of their government.

Police violence against citizens is growing in the US but too often the police are not held accountable. Various "takings" and other forms of financial corruption are practiced by local, state and even federal authorities without significant redress. And at the federal level, military policing is expanding dramatically.

This has given rise to citizen concern and organized efforts to moderate what appears to be a significant and concerning authoritarian trend. And as groups are formed to organize citizen-voices, the IRS receives paperwork having to do with awarding non-profit status ... perfectly understandable and legal requests.

But instead of treating those requests in an unbiased manner, IRS officials began tracking them and slowed up decision-making on them, as well. This cuts to the heart of the US demos, and the idea that people should be treated equally within the context of government and law enforcement.

It's a big deal.
[...]
The IRS is so large, has so many layers of bureaucracy that its internal workings are not in the least transparent. Chances are a policy like this came from the very top, not even from the IRS itself but even from the Obama administration that has battled concerns over perceptions that its legislative agenda ran counter to accepted constitutional interpretations and was basically socialist at its core.

Obama himself is evidently thin-skinned and his administration, like others before it, obviously sees its mandate not only as implementing chosen policies but battling those in the general populace who would oppose those policies via extra-political means.

Within this context, employing the IRS as a weapon against perceived enemies seems eminently logical. After all, the Obama administration would not be the first to use the awesome power to tax as a strategic advantage.

[...] The institutional momentum of the IRS is such that nothing but a fundamental reorganization of its mission and goals will begin to rectify the problems.

Start with the tax system itself, which is based on force. Defenders like to maintain that the US system is "voluntary" but really it is only the reporting that is in a sense voluntary. The larger trouble with the current tax system in the US, and elsewhere in the West, as well, is that it keeps getting bigger.

Even though progressive tax – graduated – codes are regularly targeted by politicians as overly complex and even indecipherable, nothing ever seems to change. In fact, in the US especially, the IRS continues to gain more power and more responsibility.

These days, the US legislative system is trying to require foreign banks to honor US systemic collections overseas. Non-US banks have not been cooperating but this has not lessened the IRS's zeal to implement more globalized tax collecting and withholding.

One can focus on the IRS as the proximate cause of these overzealous attempts to inflict the US's version of a progressive tax system on the rest of the world. But really, the larger US legislative agenda must shoulder the blame.

The US Congress is inevitably an active one. While one could argue that within the modern central banking context taxes are no longer necessary – as government can print all the money it needs and supposedly withdraw it from the system at the right time – legislative activism requires funding.

If Hatch and the Republicans were serious about IRS abuse, they would drastically reduce the amount of legislation coming out of Washington and try to seriously reduce the price tag, as well.

Over the next days and weeks, we may read and watch a good a deal more on this particular issue regarding the IRS but it is the US legislative system and Congress that is ultimately responsible for what the IRS has become.

Hatch and the others will no doubt continue to point fingers and make accusations, valid or not.

But they should reverse the direction of the finger pointing.

[jkob]

They have the time and reason to audit Tea Party and 'patriot' groups but not the Fed. Bastards.

[phill4paul]

They admitted being wrong and have apologized. Wut moar could anyone want? I certainly wouldn't any one fired over it. Why ruin someones life over a simple mistake.

[HOLLYWOOD]

How 'bout this nice SNACK...

VIDEO: http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/the-time-president-obama-made-an-auditing-joke


The Time President Obama Made An Auditing Joke
President Obama was giving the commencement address at Arizona State University in 2009 where he joked about auditing the president of ASU and their board of regents . The IRS apologized today for unfairly targeting (http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/tea-party-leader-demands-apology-from-obama-for-irs-targetin)Tea Party groups with extra scrutiny about their tax status. posted on May 10, 2013 at 1:55pm EDT

AND...


AP: IRS targeted tea party groups earlier than 2012
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57584051/ap-irs-targeted-tea-party-groups-earlier-than-2012/


ASHINGTON Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011, according to a draft of an inspector general's report obtained by The Associated Press that seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner. http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/05/11/ctm_0511_IRS_220x157.jpg Play Video
Political target scandal at the IRS
(http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146616n) The IRS apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware.
But on June 29, 2011, Lois G. Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt organizations, learned at a meeting that groups were being targeted, according to the watchdog's report. At the meeting, she was told that groups with "Tea Party," "Patriot" or "9/12 Project" in their names were being flagged for additional and often burdensome scrutiny, the report says.


IRS official apologizes to tea party groups for "incorrect" scrutiny during 2012 election (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57583922/irs-official-apologizes-to-tea-party-groups-for-incorrect-scrutiny-during-2012-election/)
IRS apologizes for targeting tea party organizations (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57584007/irs-apologizes-for-targeting-tea-party-organizations/)

The 9-12 Project is a group started by conservative TV personality Glenn Beck.
Lerner instructed agents to change the criteria for flagging groups "immediately," the report says.
The Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration is expected to release the results of a nearly yearlong investigation in the coming week. The AP obtained part of the draft report, which has been shared with congressional aides.
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/05/10/en_0510_reid_220x157.jpg Play Video
IRS admits to singling out tea party groups for extra scrutiny
(http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146595n) Among the other revelations, on Aug. 4, 2011, staffers in the IRS' Rulings and Agreements office "held a meeting with chief counsel so that everyone would have the latest information on the issue."
On Jan, 25, 2012, the criteria for flagging suspect groups was changed to, "political action type organizations involved in limiting/expanding Government, educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, social economic reform/movement," the report says.
While this was happening, several committees in Congress were writing IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman to express concern because tea party groups were complaining of IRS harassment.

In Shulman's responses, he did not acknowledge targeting of tea party groups. At a congressional hearing March 22, 2012, Shulman was adamant in his denials.

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim2/2013/05/10/Politics_Carney_510_220x157.jpg Play Video
WH: Reported IRS targeting of conservative groups "inappropriate"
(http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50146590n) "There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people" who apply for tax-exempt status, Shulman said at the House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing.
The portion of the draft report reviewed by the AP does not say whether Shulman or anyone else in the Obama administration outside the IRS was informed of the targeting. But it is standard procedure for agency heads to consult with staff before responding to congressional inquiries.
Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. His 6-year term ended in November. President Barack Obama has yet to nominate a successor. The agency is now run by an acting commissioner, Steven Miller.
The IRS had no immediate response on Saturday.

[Natural Citizen]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/irs-apologizes-targeting-conservative-groups

Why is it that our founders didn't need "non-profits"? Oh...that's when we the people really meant we the people. These creations are just another .inc in my opinion. Part of the same old problem that landed us where we are. Political lobbyists. They are repatriating citizenship/representation.

[jmdrake]

Lerner said the practice, initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati, was wrong and she apologized while speaking at a conference in Washington.

I love how the witch tries to shift the blame entirely to the "low level minions." Hear that minions? They don't care about you.

[heavenlyboy34]

Why is it that our founders didn't need "non-profits"? Oh...that's when we the people really meant we the people. These creations are just another .inc in my opinion. Part of the same old problem that landed us where we are. Political lobbyists. They are repatriating citizenship/representation.
That, and congresscritters had good reason to be afraid of literal tar n' feather jobs. There was a time when the congresscritters had to be sneaky to avoid pain when they went back home. Now they can do CYA jobs and at worst maybe get de-elected.

[thoughtomator]

just came off the wires, the IRS also apparently targeted Jewish groups!

[Mr.NoSmile]

They admitted being wrong and have apologized. Wut moar could anyone want? I certainly wouldn't any one fired over it. Why ruin someones life over a simple mistake.

Audit's more than a simple mistake. Also, why do it at all? And why wait until now to admit to it?

[Natural Citizen]

That, and congresscritters had good reason to be afraid of literal tar n' feather jobs. There was a time when the congresscritters had to be sneaky to avoid pain when they went back home. Now they can do CYA jobs and at worst maybe get de-elected.

Yeah, I'm thinking this Adam guy has the right idea. Stroll down there a few million strong and say listen fellers...this is how it's gonna fuggin be. What? Any questions? No? Alrighty then.

Non profits... Phhht. They're no different than any other .inc merging with goverment to repatriate processes in their favor. No different. Everyone wants to tweet a riot nowadays. How dude...:rolleyes:

[jkr]

ohhhh mr KOTAIR!!!
i got another one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocv5WdBmSok

[Keith and stuff]

My bad, bro.

[Lucille]

Revealed: The 55 questions the IRS asked one tea party group after more than two years of waiting – including demands for names of all its donors and volunteers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323978/Revealed-The-55-questions-IRS-asked-tea-party-group-years-waiting--including-demands-names-donors-volunteers.html


The Internal Revenue Service wrote to the Richmond Tea Party last year demanding to know the names of all its financial donors and volunteers, as part of a 55-question inquisition (http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05_02/Richmond%20tea%20party%20IRS%20letter.pdf) into its application for tax-exempt status, MailOnline has learned.

The agency wanted to know 'the names of the donors, contributors, and grantors' for every year 'from inception to the present.'

It also demanded 'the amounts of each of the donations, contributions, and grants and the dates you received them.'

'How did you use these donations, contributions, and grants?' the IRS asked. 'Provide the details.'

And in addition to the names of board members, officers and employees, the nation's taxing authorities insisted on knowing the names of everyone who helped the Richmond Tea Party without compensation.

'Please identify your volunteers,' the January 9, 2012 letter from the IRS read.

The agency also required the Virginia conservative group to provide copies of sections of its website that only its members can access.

The IRS ultimately identified approximately 300 such organizations, many of which were independently organized in 2009 and 2010 under the larger 'tea party' banner. Those groups had a decisive impact in the 2010 midterm congressional elections, and became a thorn in the side of the Democratic party, costing it race after race, especially in the House of Representatives, which shifted to Republican control.

In the nearly three years since the IRS began looking more closely at conservative nonprofit groups than others, 125 of the 300 target organizations have been approved for tax-exempt status. Another 25 withdrew their applications. The remainder are still waiting.
[...]
The Virginia organization said it applied for 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status on December 28, 2009 and waited nearly 10 months for a response, which consisted of 17 questions and a two-week deadline. That demand was made on the opening day of the Virginia Tea Party Convention, which the Richmond Tea Party organized in large part.

'We fully complied,' the group wrote, 'providing over 500 pages of documentation. We received no response for over a year. Eventually the IRS sent a letter dated January 9, 2012, thanking us for our "complete and thorough responses" from the first request,' but then asking 55 more questions in 12 parts – 'including the totally inappropriate request for a full list of our donors and volunteers. We were given the same two-week timeframe for completion.'
[...]
Alan P. Dye, a nonprofit attorney with the Washington, D.C. firm of Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, told MailOnline that he represents six tea party groups that have been waiting for periods of up to 30 months for the IRS to issue rulings.

'They're very pissed off,' he said, 'and they have every right to be pissed off.'

He advises his clients to refuse to answer invasive questions about their donors and volunteers, he said, since information they provide would be made available to the public.

'Everything these groups tell the IRS is open to public inspection once their exempt status is granted,' Dye explained.

[torchbearer]

whoa

[Lucille]

Pelosi Blames IRS Scandal on Citizens United
http://reason.com/24-7/2013/05/13/pelosi-blames-irs-scandal-on-citizens-un


House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s two-paragraph statement on allegations that the IRS targeted tea party organizations for extra review could have come from any concerned lawmaker Monday.

But a single sentence tying the IRS’ alleged misconduct with a controversial Supreme Court decision signaled that Democratic leaders see an opening to restart the debate over the nation’s campaign finance system.

“We must overturn Citizens United, which has exacerbated the challenges posed by some of these so-called ‘social welfare’ organizations,” the California Democrat said.

One of many outcomes of the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling is that partisan groups have in huge numbers taken advantage of new opportunities to register as tax-exempt “social welfare” organizations to, albeit indirectly, raise money for their political candidates and causes.

[TheTexan]

So apparently Obama is acting all surprised and he found it by "reading it on the news Friday."

[HOLLYWOOD]

Pelosi Blames IRS Scandal on Citizens United
http://reason.com/24-7/2013/05/13/pelosi-blames-irs-scandal-on-citizens-unIt's time to play "TAG" you either talk, or you're going to get sentenced to butt hurt @ Club Fed. Go from the little fish to the medium fish to the king fish

This was another way for the Obama administration to reduce the competition's power and opposition to the elections. Now that he's been reupped for 4 more years, he's lame duck, he doesn't care.

What do these criminals in government receive? Resignation with full benefits and letters of recommendation to make even more money somewhere else? You know as serious as it is, government will protect government and find a scapegoat for the public to gloat over, only for Barry to commune their sentence.

I look forward to the same bullshit Kabuki Theater of Government and Corporate Media playing the public.

[Brian4Liberty]

Just wait to see what happens next. There is no better government organization to harass and persecute every citizen than the IRS.