Despite President Obama’s claim that there isn’t even a “smidgen” of corruption in the IRS, and that any wrongdoing that may have occurred was because of rogue agents in the Cincinnati office, more and more evidence is emerging to the contrary, showing that the targeting of conservative groups was ordered by officials in Washington DC.
Numerous emails that have been released show that Washington officials, like Lois Lerner, were involved in coordinating the targeting of conservative groups. It has even been discovered that this targeting took place at the behest of Democrats in Congress, with emails showing Senator Carl Levin and Rep. Elijah Cummingswriting to various IRS officials asking them to harass tea party groups and to provide them with information about said groups.
It has also become apparent that the targeting took place in order to help Democratsduring the 2012 election season, by harassing, delaying and otherwise silencing conservative groups. Lois Lerner is heavily involved and implicated in this, and lied about it to Congress, leading to her being charged with contempt.
Now even more information showing that the IRS targeting originated in DC, and not Cincinnati, has been revealed by watchdog group Judicial Watch. (H/TNewsmax)
In one July 6, 2012, email from Holly Paz, manager of Exempt Organizations Guidance (EOT), to IRS lawyer Steven Grodnitzky, Paz asked for an explanation of how tea party group applications were being handled.
“EOT is working the tea party applications in coordination with Cincy. We are developing a few applications here in D.C. and providing copies of our development letters with the agent to use as examples in the development of their cases. [IRS lawyer] Chip Hull is working these cases in EOT and working with the agent in Cincy, so any communication should include him as well. Because the tea party applications are the subject of an [Sensitive Case Report], we cannot resolve any of the cases without coordinating with Rob.”
Judicial Watch thinks “Rob” is a reference to Rob Choi, who was then the IRS’ director of rulings and agreements and was based at the agency’s Washington headquarters, the Daily Caller reports.
This is direct proof that Obama, the White House, Democrats and DC officials, particularly Lois Lerner, have lied about their knowledge and involvement in the IRS targeting scandal. A newly released email also shows that the targeting took place at the urging of Senator Carl Levin.
Levin, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs permanent subcommittee on investigations, wrote a March 30, 2012, letter to then-IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman about the “urgency” of the issue of possible political activity by nonprofit applicants, the Daily Caller reported.
Levin asked if the IRS was sending out additional information requests to applicant groups, citing an IRS rejection letter to a conservative group as an example of how the IRS should be conducting its business, the Daily Caller said.
“Some entities claiming tax-exempt status as social welfare organizations under 26 U.S.C.&501(c)(4) appear to be engaged in political activities more appropriate for political organizations claiming tax-exempt status under 26 U.S.C.&527,” Levin wrote, the Daily Caller reported.
“Because of the urgency of the issues involved in this matter, please provide the following information by April 20, 2012,” he wrote.
The then acting Deputy Commissioner, Steven Miller, sent a 16 page email back to Senator Levin, explaining how certain IRS rules would allow for them to “prepare individualized questions and requests” for various conservative and Tea Party groups.
“There is no standard questionnaire used to obtain information about political activities,” Miller wrote. “Although there is a template development letter that describes the general information on the case development process, the letter does not specify the information to be requested from any particular organization . . . Consequently, revenue agents prepare individualized questions and requests for documents relevant to the application.”
What all of this shows is that there was a concerted, coordinated effort on the part of multiple individuals and agencies to deliberately target certain individuals and groups for political reasons. This is a blatant crime, and at the very least, highly unethical.
Now more than ever, it is apparent that there needs to be a special prosecutorappointed, or a select committee formed, with the express purpose of investigating the IRS, and holding accountable everyone who was involved in this scandal. People need to be fired, prosecuted and jailed for using to interminable power of the government to abuse law-abiding citizens who are only guilty of exercising their First Amendment right of free speech and freedom of assembly to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
