IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups

[boedicca]

Wow. The IRS targeted groups that taught people about The Constitution.

Unfrellingbelievable.

At various points over the past two years, Internal Revenue Service officials targeted nonprofit groups that criticized the government and sought to educate Americans about the U.S. Constitution, according to documents in an audit conducted by the agency’s inspector general.

The documents, obtained by The Washington Post from a congressional aide with knowledge of the findings, show that on June 29, 2011, IRS staffers held a briefing with senior agency official Lois G. Lerner in which they described giving special attention to instances where “statements in the case file criticize how the country is being run.” Lerner, who oversees tax-exempt groups for the agency, raised objections and the agency revised its criteria a week later.

But six months later, the IRS applied a new political test to groups that applied for tax-exempt status as “social welfare” groups, the document says. On Jan. 15, 2012 the agency decided to target “political action type organizations involved in limiting/expanding Government, educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, social economic reform movement.,” according to the appendix in the IG report, which was requested by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and has yet to be released....

IRS targeted groups that criticized the government, IG report says

 

[Little-Acorn]

Richard Nixon was impeached for making the IRS go after his political opponents.

(cue the liberals whiners who will point out Nixon wasn't actually impeached... since he got out of town just ahead of the posse.)

Article 2 of the Articles of Impeachment against Nixon, describes his using the IRS to investigate and intimidate his political opponents. The articles were passed by the House Judiciary Committee on July 27, 1974. Nixon resigned two weeks later.

But today, when Obama does the same thing, all the IRS has to do is say "Oops, I'm sorry", and that makes it all better.

 

[JoeB131]

Punks and whiners don't realize they're punks and whiners.

Case in point. Guy lives in a country where the women are so desperately poor that they have to mail themselves off to guys in America who are too racist to get mail order brides from the Philippinnes.

Rube.

I guess I was wrong. You at least have enough insight to realize I was obliquely referencing you.

GUy, you whine about me every post you do here... frankly, I just don't understand what the obsession is.

Just remember, when you ship us our blondes, make sure you punch holes in the boxes.

 

[Immanuel]

Interestingly, [MENTION=39072]mamooth[/MENTION] has just one person on his friends list. Any guesses who that might be?

Without looking I would say either TDM or rdean.

Immie

 

[boedicca]

In 2009 obama said he would use the IRS to audit those who opposed what he wanted. Everyone thought it was a joke - then.

The Time President Obama Made An Auditing Joke

It wasn't like this "error" was an isolated incident. obama has a history of using the IRS to harass opponents.

6 times IRS has been accused of punishing Obama's opponents | Washington Free Beacon

Wow! Obama actually told the truth. Whodathunkit?

 

[IlarMeilyr]

In 2009 obama said he would use the IRS to audit those who opposed what he wanted. Everyone thought it was a joke - then.

The Time President Obama Made An Auditing Joke

It wasn't like this "error" was an isolated incident. obama has a history of using the IRS to harass opponents.

6 times IRS has been accused of punishing Obama's opponents | Washington Free Beacon

Wow! Obama actually told the truth. Whodathunkit?

Yeah. But it was unintentional. In fact, it was a mistake.

Had he a chance to pull a 1984 edit, he would erase it.

The truth to Obama BURNNNNNNNSSSSSSSS!

It BURNS!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpGnt0otbjo]Exorcist it burns - YouTube[/ame]

 

[depotoo]

I wonder if this guy had a hand in any of it?
Timothy P. Carney: Revolving door spins at Obama's IRS | WashingtonExaminer.com
January 15, 2010 | Modified: March 15, 2012 at 9:37 pm

Ernst obviously didn't follow these rules, but the IRS tells me that Ernst is not covered by these rules. "Mark Ernst is a civil servant at the IRS; he is not a political appointee," according to an e-mail IRS statement by an agency spokesman.

The statement continues: "The Presidential Executive order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel only applies to political appointees. ... [T]he extended two year Revolving Door Ban in the order does not apply [to Ernst]."

By the common understanding of the words, it's hard to swallow that Ernst is a "career" government employee, or a "civil servant" as opposed to an appointee or a political hire. First of all, he is clearly political: He contributed $9,900 to federal candidates in the last election -- with 90 percent going to Democrats, including the maximum contribution to Hillary Clinton.

 

[P@triot]

Wow. The IRS targeted groups that taught people about The Constitution.

Unfrellingbelievable.

It's not that unbelievable - dumbocrats consider the Constitution the enemy. It impedes their march towards communism.

 

[P@triot]

The Associated Press has obtained a draft of an inspector general’s report that contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner that only low-level workers initiated the pressure on conservative groups. The draft report claims senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting Tea Party groups as early as 2011.

Watchdog: Senior IRS Officials Knew Conservative Groups Were Being Targeted in 2011 | TheBlaze.com

 

[Truthmatters]

Oh my god they targeted the people who siad they wanted to KILL the IRS?


why would they do that?

 

[Truthmatters]

can the Benghazi dead now rest in peace?

 

[Truthmatters]

New Report Shows IRS Unfairly Targets Minorities -- BV Talk Back! - BV on Money

 

[Truthmatters]

this meant nothing to you though huh

 

[Katzndogz]

The Associated Press has obtained a draft of an inspector general’s report that contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner that only low-level workers initiated the pressure on conservative groups. The draft report claims senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting Tea Party groups as early as 2011.

Watchdog: Senior IRS Officials Knew Conservative Groups Were Being Targeted in 2011 | TheBlaze.com

Not only tea party groups.

Wider Problems Found at IRS - WSJ.com

The Internal Revenue Service's scrutiny of conservative groups went beyond those with "tea party" or "patriot" in their names—as the agency admitted Friday—to also include ones worried about government spending, debt or taxes, and even ones that lobbied to "make America a better place to live," according to new details of a government probe.

Pro Israel groups were also targeted.

What do you expect from a government that considers home schooling a national security threat?

Homeschool World: News: Michigan School District Portrays Homeschoolers as "Terrorists"

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Why wouldn't they look hard at people who will do anything to get out of paying their taxes and are "anti-government" astroturfers? I'd audit them too.

Of course you would. You're a democrat authoritarian who wants to control everyone and will kick and scream when the repubs do the same thing to your beliefs. They're both appalling. Your prez didn't even condemn these illegal actions.

 

[FA_Q2]

Richard Nixon was impeached for doing the same thing. Article 2 of the Impeachment Articles against him, details his sending the IRS after his political opponents.

He was never formally impeached, of course... because he got out of town just ahead of the posse.

But when Obama does it, it's not important. Probably Bush's fault.

The Commissioner of the IRS during this time was a Bush appointee, so why wouldn't this be an establishment Republican operation? The establishment GOP hates the Tea Party Brotherhood and they get a twofer. They harass the baggers and they know the knee-jerks will blame Obama.

The fact that you think that one man dictates the politics of an entire agency just shows how stupid you are.

By the way, I am blaming the government, not Obama.

By being the head of state and the man issuing the overall orders, Obama receives some of the blame. This is particularly true when the targets are those that oppose him in recent elections. It does not even matter if the orders were not his (though such can never be proven anyway); you get some heat just for being the ‘man.’ It is a major part of what being a leader is about.

 

[FA_Q2]

Okay, is there even a single conservative on this thread who won't cheerlead any tax fraud that comes from the right? Just one, anywhere? Seriously righties, try to tone down your open love of the fraud that comes from your side. You'll look less like slavish partisan hacks that way.

Being consistent, I support profiling muslims when you look for terrorists, and profiling those claiming "Tea Party" affiliation when you look for tax cheats. The PC crowd may hate such profiling, but I care little for the tender victimized feelings of the PC crowd.

Except that you are not being consistent, you are being a hack here.

Profiling based on race for terrorism is based on the reality that grandma is not usually a terrorist. Most of the world’s terrorism is carried out by Muslim men between the ages of 17 and 40. There are not many (if any at all) examples of Asian women around 80 bombing large crowds but we still have to search them at the airport 100 percent of the time.

Now, none of that is an advocating for profiling. It is just sating fact and WHY people do advocate for that.

However, tax cheats are not prevalent with Tea Party groups or you need to show some proof of that. In essence, you are not advocating for profiling because they are cheats, you are doing so because you don’t like their political beliefs. That is suppression and a violation of the first amendment. If you were going to be consistent, you would be for profiling Democrat politicians; they have a rather high rate of tax evasion.

 

[Truthmatters]

and people who hate the IRS and all taxes could be expected to CHEAT to avoid them huh

 

[NYcarbineer]

The head of the IRS at the time this happening was a Bush appointee.

It wouldn't be surprising that an establishment Republican appointee might want to undermine the Tea Party factions somehow,

since they are a menace to the establishment GOP.

 

[paulitician]

This one's very bad. An ugly abuse of power. Who ordered it? The People need to find out. This is much more serious than just the old Republican vs. Democrat thing. This goes to the heart & soul of our Nation. Are we still a just Nation?