http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...nswers-irs-targets-conservative-groups/?cache
this admin is in it up to their eyeballs, Benghazi, threatening witnesses, targeting your political opponents using a government agency! Wow this is getting good
White House said IRS targeting of tea party groups ‘inappropriate’
McConnell wants answers
By Sean Lengell
-
The Washington Times
Friday, May 10, 2013
The White House on Friday said it was wrong for the Internal Revenue Service to target some conservative groups — notably ones that had the words “tea party” in their titles — during the 2012 election session.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday he expects the IRS’s independent inspector general to conduct a full investigation into the matter, and said President supports a thorough probe.
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SEE RELATED: Congress vows to investigate IRS over conservative audits
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“We certainly find the actions taken, as reported, to be inappropriate,” Mr. Carney told reporters.
The IRS earlier in the day admitted some of its auditors inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews to check if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency apologized.
Mr. Carney noted that the IRS is an independent enforcement agency with only two political appointees. And the agency — party led at the time by a George W. Bush appointee — blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware of the practice.
But congressional Republicans and conservative groups off Capitol Hill quickly jumped on the administration over the matter.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, called the practice “thuggish” and called on the Obama administration to conduct a government-wide review to assure the practice isn’t systemic within the IRS or happening elsewhere in the administration.
“Make no mistake, an apology won’t put this issue to rest,” he said. “Now more than ever, we need to send a clear message to the Obama administration that the First Amendment is non-negotiable, and that apologies after an election year are not an sufficient response to what we now know took place at the IRS.”
“This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics,” he added.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, promised the House will investigate the matter.
“The IRS cannot target or intimidate any individual or organization based on their political beliefs,” he said.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, California Republican, called the IRS’s action “unconscionable” and said his panel will hold “responsible officials accountable for this political retaliation.”
Organizations were singled out because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.
“That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Mrs. Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...gets-conservative-groups/?cache#ixzz2SwpHky6F
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
this admin is in it up to their eyeballs, Benghazi, threatening witnesses, targeting your political opponents using a government agency! Wow this is getting good
White House said IRS targeting of tea party groups ‘inappropriate’
McConnell wants answers
By Sean Lengell
-
The Washington Times
Friday, May 10, 2013
The White House on Friday said it was wrong for the Internal Revenue Service to target some conservative groups — notably ones that had the words “tea party” in their titles — during the 2012 election session.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday he expects the IRS’s independent inspector general to conduct a full investigation into the matter, and said President supports a thorough probe.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEE RELATED: Congress vows to investigate IRS over conservative audits
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“We certainly find the actions taken, as reported, to be inappropriate,” Mr. Carney told reporters.
The IRS earlier in the day admitted some of its auditors inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews to check if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency apologized.
Mr. Carney noted that the IRS is an independent enforcement agency with only two political appointees. And the agency — party led at the time by a George W. Bush appointee — blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware of the practice.
But congressional Republicans and conservative groups off Capitol Hill quickly jumped on the administration over the matter.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, called the practice “thuggish” and called on the Obama administration to conduct a government-wide review to assure the practice isn’t systemic within the IRS or happening elsewhere in the administration.
“Make no mistake, an apology won’t put this issue to rest,” he said. “Now more than ever, we need to send a clear message to the Obama administration that the First Amendment is non-negotiable, and that apologies after an election year are not an sufficient response to what we now know took place at the IRS.”
“This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics,” he added.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, promised the House will investigate the matter.
“The IRS cannot target or intimidate any individual or organization based on their political beliefs,” he said.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, California Republican, called the IRS’s action “unconscionable” and said his panel will hold “responsible officials accountable for this political retaliation.”
Organizations were singled out because they included the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups. In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.
“That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Mrs. Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...gets-conservative-groups/?cache#ixzz2SwpHky6F
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
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