Major Democrat implicated as IRS scandal deepens
Examiner
Anthony Martin - Conservative Examiner
5/14/2014
Excerpt:
The Examiner has learned that late this evening Judicial Watch released documents pertaining to the IRS scandal. In 2012 the IRS broke the law by targeting conservative and Tea Party groups that had requested tax exempt status. The IRS admitted to the activity.
But the Obama administration has been stonewalling on turning over subpoenaed documents that Congressional Republicans say prove that the scandal is much worse than the American people have been led to believe. It took a lawsuit by Judicial Watch to force the administration to release the documents.
Those documents, at the very least, prove that not only were several U.S. senators involved in pressuring the IRS to "go after" conservative and Tea Party groups before the 2012 elections but that one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., was perhaps the most persistent driving force behind the illegal activity of the IRS. Levin has been shown not only to work hand in hand with the IRS in harassing conservative and Tea Party groups but actively sought to prosecute them in courts of law for supposedly violating laws that govern tax exempt issues oriented groups.
But how could laws be broken if the groups were denied their tax exempt status by IRS officials such as Lois Lerner? This precisely is one of the bombshells to come out in the documents that have been released today. Levin wished to arrest, jail, and try conservatives and Tea Party groups for nothing more than their ideological beliefs since they had broken no laws. And that means Levin committed a felony, a criminal felony, if it is proved in a court of law that his actions were based upon the content of his emails and documents that all Americans can now view for themselves.
Here is part of the press release issued late today by Judicial Watch:
The release further states that Judicial Watch has received letters and emails indicating that Sen. Levin and IRS officials went after conservative and Tea Party groups with surprising intensity. That intensity only grew as the 2012 elections drew closer. And in a letter dated July 30, 2012, Sen. Levin went as far as to specify the exact groups he wanted the IRS to harass. He also suggested that the groups' applications for tax exemption be delayed by sending them special questionnaires. Levin even suggested to the IRS the types of questions to ask the groups in order to get them stuck in the process.
But in a telling communique by an IRS official to Levin, the official seemed to explore with Levin the possible path the IRS could take in questioning the targeted groups:
Curiously, Sen. Levin announced his retirement from politics not long ago. Former Reagan attorney Mark Levin stated on his radio show that perhaps the Senator decided to get out of Washington because he knew what was about to hit the news.
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View the complete article at:
http://www.examiner.com/article/majo...candal-deepens
Examiner
Anthony Martin - Conservative Examiner
5/14/2014
Excerpt:
The Examiner has learned that late this evening Judicial Watch released documents pertaining to the IRS scandal. In 2012 the IRS broke the law by targeting conservative and Tea Party groups that had requested tax exempt status. The IRS admitted to the activity.
But the Obama administration has been stonewalling on turning over subpoenaed documents that Congressional Republicans say prove that the scandal is much worse than the American people have been led to believe. It took a lawsuit by Judicial Watch to force the administration to release the documents.
Those documents, at the very least, prove that not only were several U.S. senators involved in pressuring the IRS to "go after" conservative and Tea Party groups before the 2012 elections but that one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., was perhaps the most persistent driving force behind the illegal activity of the IRS. Levin has been shown not only to work hand in hand with the IRS in harassing conservative and Tea Party groups but actively sought to prosecute them in courts of law for supposedly violating laws that govern tax exempt issues oriented groups.
But how could laws be broken if the groups were denied their tax exempt status by IRS officials such as Lois Lerner? This precisely is one of the bombshells to come out in the documents that have been released today. Levin wished to arrest, jail, and try conservatives and Tea Party groups for nothing more than their ideological beliefs since they had broken no laws. And that means Levin committed a felony, a criminal felony, if it is proved in a court of law that his actions were based upon the content of his emails and documents that all Americans can now view for themselves.
Here is part of the press release issued late today by Judicial Watch:
Judicial Watch today released a new batch of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) documents revealing that its handling of Tea Party applications was directed out of the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The documents also show extensive pressure on the IRS by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) to shut down conservative-leaning tax-exempt organizations. The IRS’ emails by Lois Lerner detail her misleading explanations to investigators about the targeting of Tea Party organizations.
The documents came in response to an October 2013 Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the agency refused to respond to four FOIA requests dating back to May 2013 (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:13-cv-01559)).
The documents came in response to an October 2013 Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the agency refused to respond to four FOIA requests dating back to May 2013 (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:13-cv-01559)).
The release further states that Judicial Watch has received letters and emails indicating that Sen. Levin and IRS officials went after conservative and Tea Party groups with surprising intensity. That intensity only grew as the 2012 elections drew closer. And in a letter dated July 30, 2012, Sen. Levin went as far as to specify the exact groups he wanted the IRS to harass. He also suggested that the groups' applications for tax exemption be delayed by sending them special questionnaires. Levin even suggested to the IRS the types of questions to ask the groups in order to get them stuck in the process.
But in a telling communique by an IRS official to Levin, the official seemed to explore with Levin the possible path the IRS could take in questioning the targeted groups:
In perhaps the most revealing letter from the IRS to Levin, Miller on June 4, 2012, takes 16 pages to explain to the senator what IRS regulations and policies may and may not be used to evaluate political groups and assures him that the agency has considerable leeway in picking and choosing which groups would be subject to additional scrutiny:
"There is no standard questionnaire used to obtain information about political activities. 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. . ."
"There is no standard questionnaire used to obtain information about political activities. 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. . ."
Curiously, Sen. Levin announced his retirement from politics not long ago. Former Reagan attorney Mark Levin stated on his radio show that perhaps the Senator decided to get out of Washington because he knew what was about to hit the news.
.....................................
View the complete article at:
http://www.examiner.com/article/majo...candal-deepens