Posted on 10/26/2017 8:20:35 AM PDT by Rockitz
Four hundred sixty nine different plaintiffs in two class-action lawsuits over Obama-era IRS harassment settled with the Department of Justice Thursday, bringing to a close a dark chapter in the IRS’s history.
In 2010 and 2011, the IRS under Lois Lerner, particularly out of the Cincinnati field office, launched what many contended were politically motivated investigations and audits of “Tea Party” and other conservative groups. While no criminal prosecutions ever resulted, hundreds of victims assembled in class-action lawsuits against the federal government.
Attorney General Sessions appears to have largely acknowledged the plaintiffs’ claims. In a DOJ press release on the settlement, he said:
[I]t is now clear that during the last Administration, the IRS began using inappropriate criteria to screen applications for 501(c) status. These criteria included names such as “Tea Party,” “Patriots,” or “9/12” or policy positions concerning government spending or taxes, education of the public to “make America a better place to live,” or statements criticizing how the country was being run. It is also clear these criteria disproportionately impacted conservative groups.
As a result of these criteria, the IRS transferred hundreds of applications to a specifically designated group of IRS agents for additional levels of review, questioning and delay. In many instances, the IRS then requested highly sensitive information from applicants, such as donor information, that was not needed to make a determination of tax-exempt status.
In March of last year, a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit criticized the Obama DOJ for its handling of the case, writing, “In this lawsuit the IRS has only compounded the conduct that gave rise to it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Sessions’ motto...
“I understand just a little
No comprende—it’s a riddle”
“Lois Learner was his subordinate, and this happened on his watch. WHY IS HE STILL THERE?”
Personally, I think that Trump intends to deal with the IRS by essentially putting it out of business with tax reform. It’s really not worth the effort to dismantle it before the fact, just let the new tax laws take effect and cause a massive RIF to take place there. All that said, Koskinen, Lerner and a host of other “IRS employees” all pieces of $hit!
“Sessions has probably received some unwarranted criticism over the past few months”
Sessions is a worthless POS who should be removed as AG!
SO WHO IS GOING TO JAIL?
Sessions let Lois Lerner go.
“The terms of the settlement with the conservative groups is not yet clear.”
So I guess this wasn’t about a rogue agent working out of an Ohio field office?
Government corruption of the most egregious nature is now so common that it’s just considered business as usual. No adverse repercussions for the violator.
Kind of like liars in court. Every one knows they just lied but perjury proceedings are never filed.
If I interpret this correctly, the groups that were injured will be compensated with my tax money, and the person who did the injuring will retire with a fat government pension. Is that about right?
What happened to Lois Lerner? Where is she? Who does she work for? Did she get kicked upstairs and makes more money?
When appointing a permanent IRS commissioner, I hope that they pick Michelle Bachmann. Michelle got a degree in TAX LAW from William and Mary, and practiced Tax Law at the IRS more many years.
She is a Trump supporter, and a Tea Party person, and honest.
that would be great
Let me see if I have this right. A presidential administration (including both justice and treasury departments) uses people paid with taxpayers money to conspire to deny tax exempt status to political opponents, arguably infringing on their first amendment rights. The effect of this conspiracy is to reduce the effectiveness of the oppositions voice during a presidential election. An inquiry conduced by the sane presidential administration finds no criminal activity (big surprise). The same administration stonewalls a congressional inquiry, and refuses to provide subpoenaed documents. A new administration “settles” with the original victims of the conspiracy and effectively admits that the previous administration did in fact act illegally, but the terms of the “settlement” are not disclosed and no criminal charges are filed. Tell me again that we are “draining the swam” or deterring similar acts in the future.
Hey, it’s all about fairness right? /s
Why should ANYONE of us obey the tax laws?
This country needs a massive tax revolt to put the CRIMINAL IRS and it’s cabal of thieves in prison for life.
Not Even a Smidgen of Corruption https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUtDFDU4kMk
This is more winning.
WE have not seen the settlement yet.
THe Tea Party groups had to agree to it, with a sympathetic Sessions.
I bet it is a very good settlement.
Whatever happened to the I.G., J. Russell George? The last honest man at the IRS and the key whistleblower? I hope he is vindicated today. I remember those CSPAN hearings. He was one of the good guys.
Criminal acts, require jail time for those involved.
That is the definition of a crime; the perp goes to jail. Duh, DC; duh, DC, duh, DC.
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