Posted on 05/10/2013 2:47:28 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Conservative groups have rejected an Internal Revenue Service apology for unjustifiably scrutinizing tax-exempt conservative groups during the 2012 election cycle. The IRS apology has seemingly validated conservatives' fears of politically motivated regulation.
House Republican leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to investigate.
Lois Lerner, the director the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt organizations, said that organizations had been given additional scrutiny if their applications included the words "Tea Party" or "patriot." The practice originated with "low-level" employees in Cincinnati, according to an Associated Press report.
In a press conference on Friday, Lerner called the actions of these employees "absolutely inappropriate."
"They didn't do it because of any political bias," Lerner said, adding that singling out groups with specific names was an ill-thought-out organizational "shortcut."
"It was an error in judgment and it wasn't appropriate but that's what they did," she said.
"We've now corrected these issues, and we don't expect that any of these will be repeated going forward."
Despite the apology, conservative groups are now seizing on the news, which they say proves their long-standing complaints of mistreatment by the IRS.
"President Obama must also apologize for his administration ignoring repeated complaints by these broad grassroots organizations of harassment by the IRS in 2012, and make concrete and transparent steps today to ensure this never happens again," said Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots.
Tea Party Express founder Sal Russo told ABC News that his group, formed as a PAC, never heard from the IRS but did hear from smaller Tea-Party groups that complained of government scrutiny.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Bttt
Obama’s administration is now totally illegitimate.
I presume the “low-level” IRS employees are no longer suckling at the taxpayer teat?
(sarcasm off)
Heads should roll.
There must be hard evidence and whistle blowers.
No way would the IRS make today’s admission out of the blue.
And now they’re in charge of enforcing our healthcare.
What kind of ‘follow up’ would ABC do if Bush’s IRS had targeted Democrat organizations...
That’s what ABC needs to do with this story... pretend they’re not as biased as the IRS. Pretend they’re a new organization and not an arm of the DNC...
***”They didn’t do it because of any political bias,” Lerner said, adding that singling out groups with specific names was an ill-thought-out organizational “shortcut.” ***
And if George Bush’s IRS singled out groups with the name “Progress” he could have used the same excuse?
Show no mercy! Careers and reputations need to be ruined. Government employees that use our tax dollars to deny the 1A rights of law abiding citizens need to suffer personal consequences. And I mean suffer.
The only “concrete” steps should be repealing the 16th. After prosecuting everyone involved, of course.
What kind of ‘follow up’ would ABC do if Bush’s IRS had targeted Democrat organizations...
That’s what ABC needs to do with this story... pretend they’re not as biased as the IRS. Pretend they’re a NEWS organization and not an arm of the DNC...
Illegal. Flat out illegal. Does anyone believe that if this had been done by a Republican administration that impeachment proceedings wouldn’t have already started? No Republican president could ever survive a scandal like this one.
“”They didn’t do it because of any political bias,” Lerner said, adding that singling out groups with specific names was an ill-thought-out organizational “shortcut.””
This one comment rubs me wrong, this is obviously political. These employees need to be identified and fired.
88 page questionnaires that seek information on donors, facebook postings and tweets require multi-level discussions, review and approval. This is not a renegade event. A management structure went about this discriminatory process.
Absolutely!
The Liberals at the IRS are quick to stuff people in jail but now they are suddenly interested in cheap excuses and hollow apologies.
There is probably no more chilling words to hear than "I am from the IRS and I would like to ask you some questions."
Who knows how much grief, wasted time and angst these jokers, working at the behest of obozo, caused.
I hope the Republicans follow this one up the pole that will ALSO lead to obozo (like Benghazi).
This is what ya get for having an entitled entrenched liberal breeding grounds called an administration by clintonian principles..
she told, O, OH go to sleep, I’ll handle it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.