In the middle of last month, Judicial Watch figured out the IRS targeting Tea Party groups was directed from the Washington, D.C. office. It also found a prominent senator was involved. In Judicial Watch'es New Documents Show IRS HQ Control of Tea Party Targeting, it says...

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. 

Mind you, Judicial Watch had to sue the IRS to get this information... "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))."

It is indeed strange that in order for justice to prevail, groups and individuals have to sue the government and the IRS. Remember the recent story about Elon Musk?... If this isn't David versus Goliath I don't know what is. Anyway, I digress.

We've been following this IRS / Tea Party story since it broke, so I won't give a ton of background information on the BOLO list or the individuals connected up to this point. Let's dive right into the new information since most of you are up to speed on all this. According to Judicial Watch, "The newly released IRS documents contain several letters and emails revealing an intense effort by Levin and IRS officials to determine what, if any, existing IRS policies could be used to revoke the nonprofit exemptions of active conservative groups and deny exemptions to new applicants."

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As the 2012 election was drawing near, Levin sent a series of letters to the IRS. He brought up twelve groups he wanted to be investigated. Only one group leaned to the left. In The Daily Caller's New Emails: Democratic Senator Pressured IRS To Target Groups, it says...

Levin, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' permanent subcommittee on investigations, wrote a March 30, 2012 letter to then-IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman discussing the "urgency" of the issue of possible political activity by nonprofit applicants. Levin asked if the IRS was sending out additional information requests to applicant groups and citing an IRS rejection letter to a conservative group as an example of how the IRS should be conducting its business.

The Deputy Commissioner at the time Steven Miller said the agency could send out "individualized questions and requests." It didn't stop there. The Daily Caller says...

Levin cited a 1997 IRS rejection letter to the conservative group National Policy Forum, formed by former Republican National Committee chairman Haley Barbour, and asked Shulman, "Is it still the position of the IRS that a 501(c)(4) organization cannot engage in any partisan political activity, even as a secondary activity?" 

Miller sent Levin a sixteen page response saying the IRS had flexibility as to what kinds of questions to ask and what requests to make.

In today's Wall Street Journal's Congress Abetted the IRS Targeting of Conservatives, "On Monday the Center for Competitive Politics filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics against nine U.S. senators: for interfering with the IRS tax proceedings; for misusing official resources for campaign purposes; and improper conduct that reflects poorly upon the Senate."

This organization believes these lawmakers tried to use the IRS to advance a partisan, electoral agenda. On October 2010, Senator Richard Durbin (D.-Ill) wrote to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman demanding he investigate Crossroads GPS. Levin wrote seven letters to the IRS demanding groups be investigated and asked the IRS for confidential tax information, even though Miller repeatedly told him the IRS could not give him the information.

Levin used the word "unacceptable" because the IRS didn't launch investigations. We need tax reform, our tax code is too complicated, we give companies reasons to hoard money overseas, and the IRS is entirely too big. But I think we can all agree it's Levin's campaign against conservative groups that is utterly unacceptable.

Once again, thank you for sending me your e-mails. I can't respond individually, but do read and consider all of them. Send your question, comment, or complaint to wendy@theprojecttorestoreamerica.com.

THE U.S. ECONOMY IS BEING DEPRESSED AND HELD HOSTAGE BY THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP... "PERIOD"... IT'S TIME THE TRUTH BE TOLD. – Anonymous

Bidwell comment: In yesterday's update, Michael Busler said, "The administration's economic policies are responsible for this poor showing." He's right… We spent over $800 billion on a stimulus package that did not work and we have a health care law that discourages companies from hiring full time employees.

The new tax law on July 1^st: You are doing a great job on TPTRA issues. I do have a question, can you just explain in plain English what this law really means. Yes I have read and listened to Porter's ad for the service he is offering. But I really think it would be helpful to everyone if someone... maybe you, maybe Doc, could break down what this law says and how it will be used against us all. Thanks in advance for your help on this. I am sure I am not the only one who will appreciate it. – Anonymous

Bidwell comment: I will look into this and get an update out as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of the week. Happy to delve in…

Correction: Yesterday's update should have said, "We spent over $800 billion on a stimulus package which provided almost no "shovel ready" jobs, but rather led to a $6 trillion increase in the public debt." The article referenced $6 billion when it should have been $6 trillion.

http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9fef20342eb918a950d416bb0&id=fe441e1877&e=8dd2b3dfdd