IRS Targeted Conservative Groups While Giving Preferential Treatment to Liberals

Inspector General Report: “The IRS used inappropriate criteria that identified Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status based upon their names or policy positions” instead of evidence of political activity.”

In yet another startling revelation involving the now notorious IRS Scandal, it has been revealed that at the same time that the IRS was actively targeting conservatives they were also giving preferential treatment to similar style liberal groups.

According to a USA Today report, as conservative groups tax-exempt status was hindered or ignored for over two years, the same IRS office approved groups with liberal sounding names in as little as nine months.

As applications from conservative groups sat in limbo, groups with obviously liberal names were approved in as little as nine months. With names including words like “Progress” or “Progressive,” these groups applied for the same tax status and were engaged in the same kinds of activities as the conservative groups.

The controversial, 3-year-old strategy to manage the increasing number of political groups seeking tax-exempt status came under fire Tuesday. The agency’s own inspector general blamed IRS leadership for “ineffective management.”

Attorney General Eric Holder (who himself should be under investigation for the Associated Press phone records scandal) has vowed to investigate the IRS targeting with the opening of a criminal investigation.

This is the same attorney general who is now smack dab in the middle of his own scandal after revelations that his Justice Department illegally obtained the phone records of over 100 Associated Press journalists came to light early this week.

A federal official who has been briefed on the matter said the investigation could focus on potential violations of civil rights law, including targeting groups based on political affiliation and infringing free speech.

The official, who is not authorized to comment publicly, said authorities could consider possible violations of the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities of government workers.

In another report by the USA Today, the actual names of a few of the liberal groups that were speedily approved were released.

• Bus for Progress, a New Jersey non-profit that uses a red, white and blue bus to “drive the progressive change.” According to its website, its mission includes “support (for) progressive politicians with the courage to serve the people’s interests and make tough choices.” It got an IRS approval as a social welfare group in April 2011.

• Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment says it fights against corporate welfare and for increasing the minimum wage. “It would be fair to say we’re on the progressive end of the spectrum,” said executive director Jeff Ordower. He said the group got tax-exempt status in September 2011 in just nine months after “a pretty simple, straightforward process.”

• Progress Florida, granted tax-exempt status in January 2011, is lobbying the Florida Legislature to expand Medicaid under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, one of President Obama’s signature accomplishments. The group did not return phone calls. “We’re busy fighting to build a more progressive Florida and cannot take your call right now,” the group’s voice mail said.

Like the Tea Party groups, the liberal groups sought recognition as social welfare groups under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, based on activities like “citizen participation” or “voter education and registration.”

This new information adds credence to the belief that this targeting was absolutely politically motivated and targeted at Obama’s political enemies during a crucial election.

Sadly, both the corporate media and elements of the federal government are attempting to psyop the public into believing that low level IRS agents carried out the direct targeting when in reality at least two top tier IRS officials knew about the targeting and decided to cover it up.

As noted by this author in a report published yesterday, this scandal absolutely does extend to the high levels of the IRS and possibly the White House.

New information has come to light that confirms what many already knew to be fact. Top IRS officials were involved with targeting conservative groups and, at the very least, knew about the information and didn’t release it to Congress.

The new information also confirms that it was not simply one lone IRS office, rather it was a concerted effort throughout the agency and took place in at least 3 different IRS offices.

In the last three days we have seen a plethora of information revealed that has implicated the IRS and possibly the White House in a chilling series of political targeting that could have horrific repercussions on our Republic if continued.

It will be interesting to watch the next week as the corporate media scrambles to somehow help save face for a failing president and criminal attorney general.

Note: It is also important to remember that this is not a Democrat or Republican issue. If this happened under Bush, the outcry would be just as big if not bigger.