The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service first learned in May of 2012 that Tea Party-affiliated organizations were being targeted by the agency. When lawmakers alleged that conservatives were being stifled, though, he avoided the issue.
Steven T. Miller, who at the time was the deputy commissioner of
the IRS, wrote to a member of Congress to explain the application
process for political organizations, according to the Associated
Press. He avoided, either intentionally or because of an ongoing
investigation into the agency’s activities, mentioning that Tea
Party groups had been at least partially correct in asserting they
were being stymied in seeking tax exempt status.
The government’s tax collection arm apologized on Friday for its
“inappropriate” targeting of Tea Party finances, including
requesting a list of donors contributing to the group’s
anti-government cause. Lori Lerner, the IRS division head of
tax-exempt organizations, blamed the error on “low-level
workers” in Cincinnati, Ohio, adding that no IRS leadership was
privy to the wrongdoing.
It is not known whether the IRS requested a list of donors from
Tea Party groups because of the known presence of major financial
backers. Among those funding the Tea Party was Americans for
Prosperity, the right-wing advocacy group favored by the
billionaire Koch brothers.
Rep. Charles Boustany, a Louisiana Republican, wrote to Miller
on June 15, 2012 specifically mentioning the Tea Party in a list of
groups that have complained of IRS harassment. Miller responded by
saying that because of the upcoming election the IRS was processing
an influx of tax-exempt requests but was taking “steps to
coordinate the handling of the case to ensure
consistency.”
Miller, as quoted by the AP, never mentions that he was aware of
an investigation into the Tea Party screening. He added that IRS
agents were working with tax attorneys “to develop approaches
and materials that could be helpful to the agents working the
cases.”
Rep. David Camp (R-Michigan), the chairman of the House Ways and
Means Committee, has scheduled a hearing for Friday, at which
Miller is scheduled to testify.
“They repeatedly failed to disclose and be truthful about
what they were doing,” Camp said. “They really failed to
disclose to us what they were up to, even though we obviously had a
concern that they were targeting taxpayers for their political
beliefs. Given all of that attention, that had an obligation and
duty to come forward with this information.”
Lois Lerner learned on June 29, 2011 that screenings were taking
place, according to a draft of a Treasury Department report
acquired by the IRS. She was told that groups that used “Tea
Party,” “Patriot,” and “9/12 Project” in their
applications were flagged. Lerner
This article originally appeared on : RT