New Report Debunks IRS Claims

Posted on | April 8, 2014 | 13 Comments

John D. McKinnon of the Wall Street Journal reports:

A new report from House Republicans sheds more light on the early stages of tea-party targeting by the Internal Revenue Service, identifying the first three cases sent to Washington for special review in 2010.
The report also underscores the difficulties the targeted groups faced. Two of the three dropped their applications in the face of IRS questioning, the report shows. A third is waiting for a resolution of its case, a spokesman said.
The GOP report, the latest salvo in a protracted political battle in Washington, is aimed at refuting Democrats’ argument that liberal groups also were targeted by the IRS over recent years. The report by aides to Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, emphasizes that the targeting began as an IRS inquiry solely into tea-party groups. It also contends that subsequent efforts by IRS officials to make the review more neutral were little more than cosmetic changes, and the basic focus on conservative grassroots groups remained.
Although IRS documents showed the agency also was on the lookout for applications by some liberal-leaning groups, “only Tea Party applicants received systematic scrutiny because of their political beliefs,” the new report says. In addition, “public and nonpublic analyses of IRS data show that the IRS routinely approved liberal applications while holding and scrutinizing conservative applications.”

The entire report by the House Oversight Committee’s Republican staff is online (PDF) and the Executive Summary says:

IRS’s three “test” cases were all conservative organizations: Prescott Tea Party, American Junto, the Albuquerque Tea Party. (pp. 14-18)
Congressional Democrats made misleading claims about the targeting. Democratic Members of Congress, including Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, Ranking Member Sander Levin, and Representative Gerry Connolly, made misleading claims that the IRS targeted liberal-oriented groups based on documents selectively produced by the IRS. (pp. 7-13)
IRS selectively released documents supporting the misleading claims. The IRS cited 6103 protections for taxpayer information to withhold details about the targeting from the American public, but reversed its decision in August 2013 to release information helpful to its cause. (pp. 11)
MYTH: Progressive groups were also targeted.Only seven applications in the IRS backlog contained the word “progressive,” all of which were then approved by the IRS, while Tea Party groups received unprecedented review and experienced years-long delays. While some liberal-oriented groups were singled out for scrutiny, evidence shows it was due to non-political reasons. (pp. 32-35)
MYTHS: False Democratic claims of political targeting about specific groups exposed: Where the IRS identified liberal-oriented groups for scrutiny, evidence shows that it did so for objective, non-political reasons and not because of the groups’ political beliefs. (p.32)
ACORN groups – IRS employees testified that former ACORN affiliates were scrutinized out of concern that they were old organizations improperly applying as new ones and not because of their political beliefs. (pp. 40–42)
Emerge America – IRS employees testified that Emerge Groups were scrutinized after some had already been approved and the IRS became concerned about improper private benefit – not because of their political beliefs. (pp. 42–44)
Occupy Wall Street – The Committee has found no evidence that the IRS subjected Occupy applicants to burdensome and intrusive information requests or even seen evidence that “Occupy Wall Street” or an affiliate organization applied to the IRS for non-profit status. (pp. 44–45)

Again, you can read the full report (PDF). My interpretation is that Democrats who have repeated claims that there was no political bias in the IRS are essentially part of a cover-up effort. And make no mistake: There was (and still is) a cover-up. You can read more background on that in my 2,500-word report, “The IRS Outrage,” from the March issue of The American Spectator.

Category: Scandal, Taxes

Comments

13 Responses to “New Report Debunks IRS Claims”

mjhohio
April 8th, 2014 @ 6:40 am

RT @smitty_one_each: TOM New Report Debunks IRS Claims http://t.co/LOgx8w9Eae #TCOT
20142
April 8th, 2014 @ 7:24 am

RT @smitty_one_each: TOM New Report Debunks IRS Claims http://t.co/LOgx8w9Eae #TCOT
Josh_Painter
April 8th, 2014 @ 7:52 am

RT @smitty_one_each: TOM New Report Debunks IRS Claims http://t.co/LOgx8w9Eae #TCOT
NeoWayland
April 8th, 2014 @ 8:03 am

I won’t go into the freedom destroying income tax here.

I will say that tax exempt status is a “devil’s bargain” that never should have been accepted. In exchange for the status, the group has to refrain from all political speech except in carefully controlled circumstances and report to the government WHO donated WHAT. The law also limits what can be donated, especially “excessive” cash. And the law limits who can be associated with the group. Mess with any of this and not only will the group lose it’s tax exempt status, but the group (and possibly it’s members) can face huge retroactive tax penalties. That serves nothing except tyranny.

Considering how active churches and other non-profits were in American history, that should have been a flaming red flag with a siren.
ameryx
April 8th, 2014 @ 8:05 am

Of coursethe Occupy groups weren’t targeted by the IRS: they didn’t apply. Instead, many got their tax-exempt status by affiliating with a group (Alliance for Global Justice) that already had tax-exempt status. Essentially, they paid royalties to an existing group for tax-exemption. Details here: http://ameryx.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/the-mad-hatter-at-the-tea-party/
301
April 8th, 2014 @ 8:21 am

Flatulent Earth Society
Quartermaster
April 8th, 2014 @ 8:49 am

One of the few times you are correct. Some Churches are defying the IRS because Black Churches have been used by the DimoKKKrats as political whistle stops for years with no chance of having their tax exempt status threatened.
NeoWayland
April 8th, 2014 @ 9:10 am

I’m usually correct.

Except when I’m wrong… *grins*

Jokes aside, you probably agree with me on economics, smaller government and (most) individual rights. We won’t agree on religion, personal morality, and sexuality. I hope we can agree on honor.

I hang out here to keep me honest and so I can see how conservatives think. And occasionally to keep you honest *wink* and keep you from taking yourself too seriously.
M. Thompson
April 8th, 2014 @ 9:30 am

It sounds like a good reason to shut down the IRS, and maybe purge the Federal Civil Service.
G Joubert
April 8th, 2014 @ 10:03 am

What is needed is a new and updated Pendleton Act. If the Republicans don’t have civil servive reform on their agenda for if and when they retake the senate and the WH, then there truly is no hope for them.
PatDissent
April 8th, 2014 @ 4:03 pm

So Goddamned lying, scumbag Commies lie. What else is new?

What I want to know is : when are the nutless wonders we call the GOP going to grow a pair and start slapping people in jail? How I pray to Jesus Christ and God that he will transform the spines of jello into concrete.

Einstein used to say the only thing infinite in the universe was human stupidity; I say GOP cowardice is running a very close second at this point.
Wednesday news and opinions | Walla Walla TEA Party Patriots
April 9th, 2014 @ 4:49 am

[…] New Report Debunks IRS Claims […]
House Democrats and the IRS Cover-Up : The Other McCain
April 9th, 2014 @ 9:13 pm

[…] More documents are available at the Oversight Committee web page. Remember what I said yesterday: […]