Jeffrey Toobin was an early skeptic of the IRS/Tea Party “scandal.”
Not too long ago there was a massive scandal clogging up the front pages of the papers and the cable news airwaves: The IRS was either denying or delaying tax-exempt status to right-leaning “Tea Party” groups. But now things are starting to look a little different.
There seems to be no denying that an inappropriate political test was being applied; the IRS apparently had a policy that applications with certain keywords would be flagged for additional scrutiny. The tax agency was dealing with a flood of applications from groups applying for 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status; some of these organizations were quite clearly set up to do election-related advocacy, which is what they were not supposed to be doing.
What’s new, according to IRS, is that the “tests” were not just applied to conservative groups. The New York Times‘ Jonathan Weisman, under the headline “Documents Show Liberals in IRS Dragnet” (6/25/13), reports that the IRS was also looking at groups with names that included words like “Progressive” and “Occupy,” or that dealt with issues ranging from medical marijuana or “disputed territories in the Middle East.” On that last item, the Times notes:
And “occupied territory advocacy” seemed subject to the most scrutiny of all.
“Applications may be inflammatory, advocate a one-sided point of view, and promotional materials may signify propaganda,” according to instructions with a lookout list.
In an understatement, the Times notes, “The new IRS documents raise questions about how the controversy has been portrayed.”
Yeah, a little bit. When the scandal broke there was a sense that the government was “targeting” its critics by using the tax agency to harass them. There was no evidence that the White House was involved in any way, but that hardly seemed to matter to pundits like Peggy Noonan, who argued in the Wall Street Journal (5/17/13) that the “purpose, obviously, was to overwhelm and intimidate—to kill the opposition, question by question and audit by audit. It is not even remotely possible that all this was an accident, a mistake.” She went on Meet the Press (5/19/13) to suggest the White House was involved—Obama “was giving dog whistle sounds to people who could launch this thing.”
Bill O’Reilly
Bill O’Reilly spun a conspiracy theory out of the number of times the head of the IRS had visited the White House—though if you garble numbers as badly as O’Reilly did (FAIR Blog, 6/6/13), you’d better pay someone else to do your taxes.
The Times isn’t the only outlet on the story; the Washington Post reported today on the same IRS revelations, as did USA Today. It’s worth pointing out that USA Today had a piece (6/17/13) hinting at this, with one official saying that “Tea Party” was shorthand for any political group.
As I noted when the story broke (FAIR Blog, 5/17/13), there were a few people—Brad Friedman and David Cay Johnston in particular—who were raising some good questions about the scope of the story. But for most of the elite media, the story was part of Obama’s “scandal trifecta.”
It all seems like a long time ago….
I don’t understand why you call this an “inappropriate political test.” Isn’t it entirely APPROPRIATE to see if these groups are engaged in political activity?
Eli, exactly.
half the time, I think Peter Hart is brain dead
I could see why Occupy and Tea party would be signaled for scrutiny, since those are two fast growing poitical groups. But why single out “disputer territories in the middle east”?
Media portrayals should reflect the targeting of progressive groups, but characterizing the attacks as against Obama opponents should stand. Obama has many opponents with positions to the left of his far-right positions.
501(c)(4) can engage in political activity if it meets certain criteria. There would have to be some sort of test to determine if this is the case. If there can be a political test involved in the determination, surely there can be an inappropriate political test as well. Spare us the ad hominem please.
No no the fact that it all began the day after Obama had some of the key players in his office is not even worth mentioning.You know what……save it.I am in the tea party.We have known about this treatment from the beginning.It was open (and ignored by the press) knowledge among us.Even then we knew Obama had placed like minded imbeciles in places of import to do his bidding.They new what he wanted without ever being told.It was in the wind.Even that moron from Saturday night live who plays at elected office was asking for it.We dealt with it from day one in complete understanding of Obamas methods.So to now say that yeah we were right all along, but wrong too- because maybe others were targeted as well is just so weak.Ok show me the progressives who suffered.As far as helping the IRS case …save it,save it save it.Stolen credit cards used for porn.Massive vacation get aways.This organization should be abolished.Its roll in Obama care ended.As of now no one has been punished.Bumped upstairs, and paid off is all that has happened.A disgrace.obama says he learned of it in the press.I knew about it years ago.Is that even possible? of course not.He is a damn liar.AGAIN!
michael e – again proving that the voices in your head need to be quieted. Your poorly written ramblings would be applauded by Alex Jones, but those of us who are sane just shake our heads and laugh at what you post.
Michael, I’ve no doubt that you and the circle you ran with really thought Obama was and is evil, and also everything he helped to create… I give you the respect of acknowledging that fact, as I assume you would want me to. But…
“[T]he fact that it all began the day after Obama had some of the key players in his office is not even worth mentioning,” …. is not worth mentioning for your purposes, because that was the very day, that some tea bag player saw fit to stick the name-based IRS screening of their own action organizations, on Obama, by “tying” those very visits to their own IRS complaints, duh. Which complaints, you know were made by tea baggers, duh. You want me to view media manipulation as not relevant?….
“We have known about this treatment from the beginning.It was open (and ignored by the press) knowledge among us.Even then we knew Obama had placed like minded imbeciles in places of import to do his bidding.”….
Sadly, I demand proof of those three “knows.” Waiting… Proof? No? Well I’ve got stuff to do, so… ….
“They [k]new what he wanted without ever being told. It was in the wind.”… ….
This is called mass hypnosis, Mike, but not the way you’re thinking. It was YOU and your buddies who were being hypnotized — by your own rhetoric, like in a small-echo room, shouting back your own voices at you. “It was in the wind” is a clear clue to that sort of perception alteration. ….
You and your friends were always yakking yourselves up about Obama, is the way it probably started, always upping your own antes in terms of the assumptions you all agreed on. You’d all developed similar opinions on who must be buying who off in the government; who was covering for whom, for what; what the real “underlying” plan might be (there’s ALWAYS a “real underlying plan”)….
I’m just saying all this just because that’s usually how it starts, you know, that “mob” thing…..
Pretty soon, though you still might not feel ABsolutely sure, about EVERYTHING, you may still feel sure enough of some high-level guilt or other, that you may want to make a gesture of some kind, or do some kind of damage that will hopefully “get people to do something (yes, “do something” about “them”).” I just want to ask you to be very very careful about that instinct, and to think things out three times, before you do do something.
Lightning Joe.We all no at this point that Obama is a liar.On any number of things.Starting from before his first run for the Senate.Beck did 2 solid hours of one lie after the other(he had 5 hours in the can)that was hysterically funny if you could keep your lunch down.Now the left will often attack Beck instead of realizing that the proof is in the pudding.When we in the tea party saw the attacks upon us by the IRS we did not believe that the IRS was acting as an out of control 4th arm of the government.In open argument we complained waiting for government follow up.When it came it came too late.After the election.So to say on the one hand that Obama knew nothing pointing to massive incompetence or his aquiescence are both troubling in the extreme.To say the IRS did this but it was a few rogue agents is a joke and you know it.If it was out of hand,i would say that since no -one has been punished that it still is.And it must be removed from Obama care.Joe this administration is a culture of corruption(every day a new eruption)Chicago thug politics ensconced in the white house.Saul Alynski worshiped at the chapel upstairs.Obama sets like minded fools in positions of power.This is the key to his deniability.Like nailing Jello to the wall.Sir he told you in his biggest gamble(lie) that Obama care would open competition.Lower premiums by 17%.Cover those who are uninsured at a cost of 700 billion.Well how has that worked?Still 15 million uninsured and add another 7. 2.5 trillion and counting.Premiums up in some places by 150%.Dont say he was surprised.WE TOLD HIM SO.So you keep cutting him and his minions slack,while personally attacking those who hold his feet to the fire for the lies that pour from his lips.I think at this point you are not naive or stupid.You are in agreement with this progressive march to allow an all powerful Fed any power.You will learn to look the other way.Well Obama is your man then.You elected the correct representative for you goals.Fast and Furious.Benghazi.The AP scandal.Obamacare…IRS.Just a few things that you are willing to believe that OBAMA and those he put in charge of these actions are all without knowledge or control of these disasters.I say again save it- if you mean to convince people to your apathetic reasoning.
Though I have given up in disgust watching the evening MSNBC line-up, the last time I saw Lawrence O’Donnell, he was reporting professionally on this IRS story from the beginning. He deserves mention for that.
Statistics is a great tool, Michael, but sadly, when it is used BY liars, it becomes a lie-generating tool. Glenn Beck IS such a liar himself (there are endless lists of his lies)…..
Now, GIVEN the fact that Beck did NOT do a similar list of the multitude of lies EVERY other president has “told” (the definition of a “lie” changes, depending on who’s counting and bloviating about them), I don’t think we can draw ANY valid conclusions, out of that two hour parade of Beck’s Obama-scorn you mention…..
Trust me, he could have done one helluva show, listing GWB’s REAL lies…..
And this list of corruptly-counted “lies” is what you are calling the “pudding” that supplies your “proof?”…..
So your tax-exempt status came “too late” (after the election)? But tell me, did the tax question STOP YOU from doing what you were going to do anyway? No, it didn’t? You mean it just postponed you knowing if you’d get a TAX BREAK, for your obviously biased activities? (I’m going on the CURRENT evidence you supply us right here, you understand)…..
Oh, boo hoo, you were so picked on…..
“Obama sets like minded fools in positions of power. This is the key to his deniability.”
No, this is him acting like EVERY OTHER PRESIDENT WE’VE EVER HAD in this country, including YOUR favorite president(s)…..
The REAL key to his “deniability” is that his worst opponents are all fools like you, who see ghosts in the shadows…..
The fact that NONE of your heavily-massaged assertions can or do stand up to examination, is why he can “deny” (here, this means “ignore”) your fool assertions so easily and completely.
Well joe the move against the tea party was to stop them getting out there and garnishing the vote.Just as Obamas massive money machine was free to do for him.Sad but that is the way things work these days.As far as Beck being a liar or Bush or Clinton or whomever…..I ,through my family ,have been involved in politics since 1975.Ive seen em come and Ive seen em go.I worked for Clinton on his campaigns.I agree lies fly pretty well in the rarified Washington air.But no one has ever come close to equaling obama.Id say he beats every one of them combined ….with a magnitude of 10 involved.And there is a reason.Clinton …Bush ,Reagan,Carter all believed in the system to varying degrees.They stepped over the line but with trepidation.The constitution always was looking over their shoulder.Obama…he believes in none of it.He simply manipulates a system and constitution, that hamper his plans.He quite literally lies about damn near everything.He cant go to the american people with what he truly feels.He likes to legislate in the dark.He cant sell his agenda.He has this likability factor that never matched his platform.He understands that.Why don’t you?And in the end your argument of comparing Beck or even Bush is stupid.They have no power.Obama is the only game in town we should be worried about.And if you cant see he is damn liar at this point…..you are too far gone to have a reasonable discussion with.