The IRS finally apologizes…
…now that the damage has been done. Here’s the story:
The DOJ reached an undisclosed monetary settlement with over 400 conservative groups that had their applications for tax exempt status delayed “based solely on their viewpoint or ideology,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday.
“The [Internal Revenue Service]’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred,” Sessions said in a statement Thursday. “It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions.”
The Trump administration reached a settlement in two separate cases, one including 41 groups and another filed by 428 plaintiffs…
The IRS admits that its treatment of Plaintiffs during the tax-exempt determination process, including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions, subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays, and demanding some Plaintiffs’ information that TITA determined was unnecessary to the agency’s determination of their tax-exempt status, was wrong,” the IRS said in court documents. “For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology.”
The settlement comes days after the House Judiciary Committee released internal Obama DOJ emails, that revealed the agency selectively funneled big banks’ predatory lending settlement money to liberal non-profits to the exclusion of conservative organizations.
Note that this apology is not an admission that these conservative groups were targeted for political reasons. It was just some sort of clerical error or something of the sort. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I think it’s impossible (unless you’re a Democratic hack) to come to the conclusion that this pattern of behavior was the least bit innocent and not politically motivated.
And hey, it worked, right? And unless I’m mistaken, the DOJ will use taxpayer money to pay the injured parties. So we’re all going to be the ones paying for it. And no one from the IRS will ever be tried.
“And no one from the IRS will ever be tried.”
Yep…so when Trump’s 8 years end & we the people act stupidly again & elect another D to the White House it will happen again.
If that criminal conspiracy isn’t punished…their next gen will do it again and again and again.
Neo says,
“It is impossible to come to the conclusion…”
Thank you. Too bad you are not a regular on Rachael Maddow or similar.
The apology was filed well past the due date. With penalties and interest, the IRS owes….
And Lois Lerner will not enjoy the federal iron bar hospitality she so richly deserves.
And still that creepy Mr K still works for them
“Fire his a$$ Trump!!”
In refusing to hold these apparatchiks fully accountable, almost certainly due to ‘political considerations’, the Trump administration is ensuring the further decline of the Rule of Law.
Consequence free criminality ensures its increase.
Given that the Left has the Rule of Law on life support, its survival is at the least problematic. And when redress of grievance becomes impossible, war and revolution is inevitable.
The end of the harassment (at least for now) is probably the best we can do, since the alligators own most of the swamp.
Better than nothing, but not nearly good enough.
Until heads are on pikes on the lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, DC or at least life in Leavenworth, nothing will change. DC will remain weaponized against we the people. First, we need to see, in real terms, the rule of law applies to all, high or low. Secondly, that had better happen fast, or CW2 is on a short fuse..
Curiously it all depends on the weird character DJT. I continue to reload..
What a surprise. Thankfully, I don’t think they’ll get another chance to pull this kind of stunt. I’m predicting 16 years of Republicans controlling the White House.
The Democrats are doubling down on stupid.
Oh, so now that Sec. Clinton lost the election and they have to deal with President Trump, they’re SORRY. I’m sure they’re really, really sorry. That makes it all better. No further action is required.
Really. At the very least, the peons should lose their jobs. The higher-ups, like Lerner, should go to prison. Enough of this! And what of the federal law enforcement officials, including the FBI, BATF, and OSHA, that attacked Catherine Engelbrecht? The IRS was just the tip of the iceberg. How many Engelbrechts are there, and how many federal agents with badges and guns abused their office to harass them?
Let’s fire a few thousand and put several dozen in prison.
I’ll bet they’ll be very sorry then.
Lerner and Koskinen should lose their pension and be required to pay back all their salary since the time when the first slow-walk took place. They really should rot in jail, but I’ll settle on the above penalty as a substitute.
This does need to be a bigger issue. The United States Government targeted citizens for persecution because of their political ideology. It’s a fundamental point of small government philosophy backed up by a simple and obvious problem.
The Republican machine should make hay with it.
Jeff Sessions is doing what?
I agree with everyone anf especially F. It’s good to see that others recognize that this is a heinous crime that must be punished, not rewarded.
Sadly for this world it seems their punishment – that is, justice – must wait for the next.
And not a single word on how much money each organization got in the settlement? WHY?
Molly NH
And still that creepy Mr K still works for them
“Fire his a$$ Trump!!”
Your wish is granted. Trump Picks Replacement For Embattled IRS Chief John Koskinen
They got Hussein Obola, your previous President, elected. Mission Accomplished.
Nothing to see here, move along.
The United States Government targeted citizens for persecution because of their political ideology.
They’ve targeted Presidents before. ANd by some rumors, even killed them.
Do you, as a citizen, think you somehow were going to be treated differently?
So who is the US President now, since HRC would be in jail if he was President, Trum said.
Has that happened yet or has idol worshipped finally captured the hearts of American patriots in the heartland to the point where they think Talk is substance…
How is this not a constitutional crisis. This is how South American banana republics work!
This is just utter, total nonsense. The *political* organizations that were filing for tax exempt status – the ones WIh, for example, “Tea Party” in their names, to advertise their purely political status – were *breaking the law.* Their leaders should be in jail. A 501 c(3) organization must be at least partially dedicated to social welfare. Lois Lerner should have proudly stood up and announced that she was *doing her job,* and proud of it, and Obama should have backed her up. It’s almost too bad that Obama is a man of such unusual integrity that he was embarrassed by the mere, unfounded *suggestion* that he was playing pities with the IRS. This “scandal,” like every other phony scandal alleged by Republicans, was completely manufactured out of thin air. Republicans should be ashamed. Bit as we now know all too well, they are incapable of shame.
Parody by Jesse. April Fools was two months ago.
Nope, just the facts. In response to your delusion. I note you can’t refute them. Could you please explain why purely political organizations are entitled to tax breaks – that is, public subsidies – to disseminate their views? It is the Tea Party people who *broke the law* by applying for these breaks, not the IRS people who did their jobs, who need to be in jail.
Maybe the CPUSA is entitled to tax-exempt status? Would you be OK with that? Clearly not. And they don’t get it. And neither should the Tea Party. You are advocating for an illegal thumb on the scales of Democratic practice for a group of partisan organizafions, simply because you align with their views. Do you not see how corrosive that is?
Lois Lerner took the 5th, Jesse, and the IRS was playing hide-the-ball with their own inspector-general. That’s not because they had nothing to hide.