{"id":104323,"date":"2017-04-04T14:04:53","date_gmt":"2017-04-04T18:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breaking911.com\/?p=104323"},"modified":"2017-04-04T14:05:53","modified_gmt":"2017-04-04T18:05:53","slug":"breaking-watchdog-group-releases-hundreds-pages-obama-irs-scandal-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breaking911.com\/breaking-watchdog-group-releases-hundreds-pages-obama-irs-scandal-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchdog Group Releases Hundreds of Pages of Obama IRS Scandal Documents"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Washington, DC \/ RELEASE<\/em>) \u2013 Judicial Watch has\u00a0released 695 pages<\/a> of apparent new documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that contain admissions by IRS officials that the agency used \u201cinappropriate political labels\u201d to screen the tax-exempt applications of conservative organizations. Other records reveal that the IRS was going to require 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations to restrict their alleged political activities in exchange for \u201cexpedited consideration\u201d of their tax-exempt applications.<\/p>\n

VIEW THE DOCUMENTS HERE.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The documents were produced after a revelation by the IRS that it had located \u201can additional 6,924 documents of potentially responsive records\u201d relating to a 2015 Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit about the Obama IRS targeting scandal. The FOIA lawsuit seeks records about the IRS\u2019 selection of individuals and organizations for audits based upon applications requesting nonprofit tax status filed by Tea Party and other 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organizations (Judicial Watch v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:15-cv-00220)).<\/p>\n

Of the 695 pages of documents released by the IRS, 422 (61%) were withheld in their entirety. These newly identified records are not records that were contained in the \u201cCongressional Database,\u201d which the IRS created in 2013 to house records responsive to congressional inquiries into the IRS scandal.<\/p>\n

Included among the newly released a material is a June 20, 2013, memo from Karen Schiller, then-Acting Director, EO Rulings and Agreement, suspending use of the controversial Be on the Lookout (BOLO) and Touch and Go (TAG) lists:<\/p>\n

EO Rulings and Agreements is undertaking a comprehensive review of screening and identification of critical issues. We intend to develop proper procedures and uses for these types of documents. Until a more formal process for identification, approval and distribution of this type of data is established, Rulings and Agreements will not use this technique to elevate issues.<\/p>\n

In an August 9, 2013, memo, Schiller admitted the IRS used political labels in targeting the groups for special scrutiny and possible audit and that, going forward, the agency would screen organizations based only on their activities, \u201cnot words\u201d or \u201clabels of any kind:\u201d<\/p>\n

As Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel has said, the IRS has taken decisive action to eliminate the use of inappropriate political labels in the screening of 501(c)(4) applications. IRS policy is now clear that screening is based on activity, not words in a name. The new steps and current policies were outlined in the June 24 report, which noted: \u201cIn the absence of BOLO lists, the Determinations Unit will continue to screen for information affecting the determination of applications for tax exempt status, including activity tied to political campaign intervention, but it [will] be done without regard to specific labels of any kind.\u201d The 30-day report also reflects the June 20, 2013 memorandum, which was issued to officially suspend the use of the BOLO list in the screening process.<\/p>\n

The documents also include a \u201cDear [Applicant]\u201d letter which offers an \u201cexpedited process\u201d for 501(c)(4)s in exchange for restriction on their activities:<\/p>\n

This optional expedited process is currently available only to applicants for 501(c)(4) status with applications pending for more than 120 days as of May 28, 2013, that indicate the organization may be involved in political campaign intervention.<\/p>\n

In this optional process, an organization will represent that it satisfies, and will continue to satisfy, set percentages with respect to the level of its social welfare activities and political campaign intervention activities (as defined in the specific instructions on pages 5-7). These percentage representations are not an interpretation of law but are a safe harbor for those organizations that choose to participate in the optional process.<\/p>\n

On September 30, 2013, Acting Director, Exempt Organizations, Kenneth C. Corbin, sent a memo to IRS staff providing detailed guidance on classifying applications when \u201c\u2018merit approval\u2019 is not an option,\u201d emphasizing that the determination is to be based on \u201cfacts and circumstances,\u201d not \u201cwords and labels:\u201d<\/p>\n

Classifier reviews the application and determines if it should be routed to a specialty group. This determination is based upon facts and circumstances of the stated activities within Part II of the application rather than names or labels. This is consistent with Karen Schiller\u2019s August 9, 2013 memorandum \u2026<\/p>\n

The Schiller and Corbin memos came on the heels of the May 14, 2013, Inspector General report revealing that the IRS had singled out groups using conservative-sounding terms such as \u201cpatriot\u201d and \u201cTea Party\u201d when applying for tax-exempt status. The IG probe determined that \u201cEarly in Calendar Year 2010, the IRS began using inappropriate criteria to identify organizations applying for tax-exempt status (e.g., lists of past and future donors)\u201d and \u201cdelayed processing of targeted groups\u2019 applications\u201d in advance of the 2012 presidential election.<\/p>\n

Of the 422 withheld pages, 98% (all but nine) cited the FOIA \u201cdeliberative process\u201d provision under FOIA Exemption 5.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo wonder the Obama IRS has been hiding these records. The new smoking-gun documents contain admissions by the Obama IRS that it inappropriately targeted conservative groups,\u201d said Judicial Watch President, Tom Fitton. \u201cBut the records also show that the abuse continued \u2013 as the Obama IRS tried to force conservative applicants to give up their First Amendment rights in order to finally get their applications granted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Washington, DC \/ RELEASE) \u2013 Judicial Watch has\u00a0released 695 pages of apparent new documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that contain admissions by IRS officials that the agency used \u201cinappropriate political labels\u201d to screen the tax-exempt applications of conservative organizations. Other records reveal that the IRS was going to require 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5409,"featured_media":104324,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1,4533,37],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nWatchdog Group Releases Hundreds of Pages of Obama IRS Scandal Documents - Breaking911<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breaking911.com\/breaking-watchdog-group-releases-hundreds-pages-obama-irs-scandal-documents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watchdog Group Releases Hundreds of Pages of Obama IRS Scandal Documents - Breaking911\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Washington, DC \/ RELEASE) \u2013 Judicial Watch has\u00a0released 695 pages of apparent new documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that contain admissions by IRS officials that the agency used \u201cinappropriate political labels\u201d to screen the tax-exempt applications of conservative organizations. 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