Posted on 01/18/2014 6:30:38 AM PST by IbJensen
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 17, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The father of former GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been harassed six times since 2008, says the Tea Party favorite’s brother.
“My father, who worked multiple jobs and faithfully and honestly paid his taxes for fifty years, had never heard a word from the IRS,” wrote Chuck Heath, Jr. on his Facebook page. “In 2008, his daughter was tapped to run for vice president of the United States. Since that time, he has been, in his words ‘horribly harassed’ six times by the agency.”
In 2010, the IRS began investigating organizations with the terms “Patriot” and “Tea Party” in their names, among others. Pro-life groups were also targeted. All of the groups were either 501(c)(4) non-profits or applying to become such non-profits. These organizations must have “social welfare,” such as education, as their primary purpose.
The effort was made public in a planted statement in May 2013, when the IRS official in charge of the department in question admitted the targeting. The official, Lois Lerner, made the admission because the IRS' watchdog – the Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration – was releasing a report on the targeting.
This week, the FBI declined to file charges against the IRS. It appears the FBI believes mismanagement, not illegal intent, were at fault in the IRS.
Democrats have long claimed the enhanced investigative treatment was bipartisan. A handful of liberal groups did receive extra attention, but, according to Tea Party Patriots co-founder and National Coordinator Jenny Beth Martin in a public statement this week, “100 percent of Tea Party groups were targeted.”
Martin also noted that “the IRS perjured themselves about targeting and released donor information of at least one group, both of which are crimes, [yet] the FBI still found no reason to press charges.”
Criticism of the Obama administration intensified after the person heading the investigation into the IRS was found to be an Obama and Democratic Party donor. USA TODAY reported last year that about 80 percent of 162 organizations given closer scrutiny by the IRS were conservative.
Thomas Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, which was one of the targeted groups, told LifeSiteNews.com that “the IRS scandal is about more than the Tea Party. The scandal erupted ... and Congress has stepped down, and allowed this Administration to investigate itself.”
Since May, the IRS has looked into changing some of the rules surrounding 501(c)(4) organizations. The Washington Post reports that new rules have been proposed and opened for public comment that would “explicitly define which kind of activities are political and fall outside of the social welfare category, forcing such groups to be more careful about how they spend their funds.”
The Post says the regulations – which are not finalized – would prevent ads mentioning candidates after a certain date before Election Day and enact other limitations on speech. This has been described as codifying the suppression the IRS engaged in starting in 2010 by several prominent conservative organizations and individuals.
Heath says his father is innocent of any wrongdoing. “They've tried to dig up something on him but he's always operated above board.”
We had an opportunity to change many things in America during Bush’s term when we had the House and Senate and Presidency and they did nothing. Too bad that people are getting harassed but when these Republicans don’t do anything to change the tactics and get rid of the IRS then they pay the consequences. The other place is that UN, Bush put in Bolton and he did nothing. So we are stuck with what we have because we did nothing when we could have. Hopefully next time we have all 3, the Republicans will do something to get rid of these nasty agencies until then suffer.
Today, Bolton makes interesting guest appearances on nighttime television, but you’re right. He did nothing.
So many things that could have been done to save this nation, but Bush like his father, did nothing. Taking out Saddam was a monumental mistake as he was doing nothing but bombing the hell out of Tehran, keeping that nation at bay while he was keeping the various Muslim factions from warring against each other.
Bush did a great job and paved the way for a monster to creep up out of a swamp of evil to finish off this once great nation.
WE NEED A RIGHT-WING CONSERVATIVE LEADER!
Must be a coincidence, El-Presidente promised us the most transparent administration ever.
Funny, whatever he promises us we get the exact opposite.
REplaces the ss’s with the lightning bolt rune from the real ss.
Republicans don’t do anything to change the tactics and get rid of the IRS then they pay the consequences
then we pay the consequences
“It appears the FBI believes mismanagement, not illegal intent, were at fault in the IRS.”
The fbi believes no such thing.
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