Greg Campbell, Political Analyst, TPNN — Did the IRS target Tea Party groups for harassment? For those who have been following this scandal, the definite answer is a resounding “yes!” For the Washington Post’s fact checker, the answer is also a firm “yes.”For IRS and Obama Administration officials looking to avoid the consequences that come with admitting that political motivations forced a government agency to target political dissidents for systematic harassment, the answer is more complicated.
During his testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last month, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen claimed that the increased IRS scrutiny afforded to only Tea Party and conservative groups that lasted for years were not results of “targeting,” but of “inappropriate critieria.”
“The inspector general found inappropriate criteria were used to select organizations for further review — he did not refer to it as targeting.”
“Yes, inappropriate criteria were used. I don’t think I used the word target, but I do acknowledge that applications were delayed unnecessarily and for too long.”
“I have never said there was targeting,” Koskinen claimed during his testimony on March 26, 2014.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the term “targeting” is being rejected by government bureaucrats in favor of mealy-mouthed phrases meant to escape culpability.
The preferred term- “inappropriate criteria”- is being used by the Obama Administration to explain why only conservative and Tea Party groups were targeted for years of invasive questioning and halted statuses as nonprofit groups.
During his testimony, Kuskinen denied that the Inspector General’s report had used the term “targeting” and further explained that he had not used the term either.
The Washington Post, however, disagreed and blasted this absurd claim, saying,
We understand the public relations concern about acknowledging that the IRS engaged in targeting of conservative groups. But the cat’s out of the bag, given an official IRS report has used the phrase and both George and Koskinen have used it in public testimony.
The IG’s report was carefully written, but at this point, it is silly and counterproductive for Koskinen to fall back on bureaucratese — or even deny that the phrase “targeting” had been used. While perhaps technically correct in terms of the report, this is a slender reed to hide behind. After all, George publicly said that all three allegations of “targeting” were proven, and that using “inappropriate criteria” was the equivalent of “targeting.” That demonstrates that the term “inappropriate criteria” is simply a euphemism. Accept that means “targeting,” and move on.
The report delicately balanced the term “inappropriate criteria” with the actions of the IRS, but IG Russell George’s testimony before the committee in May of 2013 clarified, (emphasis added)
“The three allegations considered during our review were proven true. The IRS targeted specific groups applying for tax-exempt status. It delayed the processing of these groups’ applications, and requested unnecessary information, as well as subjected these groups to special scrutiny.”
“The inappropriate criteria discussed in this audit were the IRS’s targeting for review Tea Party and other organizations based on their names or policy positions, a practice started in 2012, and which was not fully corrected until May 2012. Actually the practice was started in 2010 and not fully corrected until May of 2012.”
The Washington Post assigned three Pinocchios to the claim but in truth, Koskinen’s claim likely deserves four. While we can nit-pick over what “targeting” means, the fact remains that the IRS systematically harassed Tea Party and conservative groups for years. That may have been based on “inappropriate criteria,” but that supposed criteria was rooted in the nature of the group’s political advocacy that runs contrary to the agenda of the Obama Administration. Such harassment is targeting no matter what coy euphemisms the Obama Administration wishes to assign it. » Full Article
About The Post Author, Greg Campbell
A former contributor for The Oregon Commentator, a conservative journal of opinion, Greg is the Chief Political Analyst and Correspondent for The Tea Party News Network and a regular contributor for RightWing News. Greg is an unapologetic defender of Constitutional principles and the free-market system. His area of expertise is firearm and Second Amendment-related issues. He lives in Nevada with his wife, Heather, and enjoys writing, marksmanship and the outdoors.» Greg Campbell | Article Archive
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