XPost: ucb.math, alt.society.civil-liberty, ca.environment
XPost: alt.mountain-bike

By Doug Powers • May 11, 2013 05:15 PM

**Written by Doug Powers

Yesterday Michelle wrote about the IRS admitting to giving extra
scrutiny to conservative groups (specifically ones that were
self-described as “tea party” or “patriot” organizations)
seeking tax exempt status in 2011 and 2012.

Lois Lerner, head of the IRS division that oversees tax exempt
groups, apologized and said the practice was initiated by “lower
level workers” in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political
bias (pause for laughter).

Lerner also told the AP that at the time no high level IRS
officials knew this was going on.

Somebody might want to ask her that question again:

A federal watchdog’s upcoming report says senior Internal
Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party
groups in 2011.

[...]

The Associated Press obtained part of the draft report.

That report says the head of the IRS division that oversees tax-
exempt groups learned that groups were being targeted in June
2011. It does not say whether Shulman was notified.

Bonus points: According to this story in The Hill, not only is
Lerner’s claim that no higher-ups at the IRS knew about the
extra scrutiny being given to conservative groups incorrect, but
that at least one of those senior officials who knew about the
practice was… Lerner:

The report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration (TIGTA) is slated to be released next week — the
AP obtained a draft copy of the report.

According to that draft, the head of the IRS division that
overseas tax-exempt groups became aware that conservative groups
were being targeted for scrutiny in June, 2011. The report does
not say whether Douglas Shulman, IRS commissioner at the time,
was aware of it.

Also:

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

According to Jay Carney, if anything, this might be Bush’s fault.

Double bonus points: IRS official Lerner: “I’m not good at math.”

It’s all starting to make sense now.

Update: Jewish groups too?

The New York Times must have declared the story dead, because
they’ve buried it.

Update II:

The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight has thrown
down an investigative gauntlet to the Internal Revenue Service,
demanding that the agency hand over by next Wednesday every
communication in its records that includes the words “tea
party,” “patriot” or “conservative.”

The committee is also demanding of the IRS that by next
Wednesday it provide the committee with the names and titles of
all individuals who were involved in targeting conservative non-
profit groups for more intensive review of their applications
for non-profit status.

**Written by Doug Powers
 

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)