The Department of Justice settles lawsuits with the IRS over Tea Party targeting scandal
In what is probably the most under-reported story of the day Jeff Sessions has announced a settlement with the IRS over the Tea Party targeting scandal, with the IRS admitting guilt and apologizing–there is also a cash settlement.
Here is more:
The Trump administration, after years of litigation, has settled lawsuits with Tea Party and other conservative groups who say they were unfairly targeted by the IRS under the Obama administration.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced early Thursday that the Justice Department had entered into settlements with Tea Party groups whose tax-exempt status was significantly delayed by the IRS dating back to 2013, “based solely on their viewpoint or ideology.”
Sessions said that groups with names involving “Tea Party” or “Patriots,” or those with specific policy positions concerning government spending, were subject to “inappropriate criteria” to “screen” applications.
“The IRS’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred,” Sessions said in a statement Thursday. “It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions.”
Here is the apology by the IRS:
“The IRS admits that its treatment of Plaintiffs during the tax-exempt determination process, including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions, subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays, and demanding some Plaintiffs’ information that TIGTA determined was unnecessary to the agency’s determination of their tax-exempt status, was wrong,” the IRS said in court documents. “For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology.”
I am glad these groups will be getting some financial compensation for being illegally targeted by the IRS but the damage has already been done and I would remind everybody that this scandal first came to light when Lois Lerner apologized for “inappropriately” targeting conservative groups, so really what does this second apology accomplish?
You will note there is no mention of prosecution so it appears as if Lois Lerner’s only “punishment” is an early retirement with a full pension…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
America's Watchtower 
If Hillary was in, this would never have happened. Even with his many (many, many) flaws, I thank God we don’t have a democrat in office.
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Hillary needed to win this election so she could make this all go away. The one thing I cannot understand is why did the Democrats push the Trump/Russia narrative when they knew what was really going on?
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A real “apology” would come out of the personal pocketbooks of those behind this ~ instead of using tax payers $$$$ ~ and firing those in positions of authority who ordered the underlings to execute and perform the devious screening, etc. What about those “really” behind it – up the ladder? We know who the ‘fronts’ are ~ those in that Administration (B. Clinton was noted for doing this too wasn’t he?). Would they rat on the ‘globalist’ who told them to do it?
“Unmasking” the real culprits! in a day of “transparency.” 🙃
OT but kind-of goes with the Totalitarian Oligarchy stepping stone:
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Interesting thought Zip, basically all the DOJ and the IRS did was decide how much of our money to distribute! There was no real punishment for these people and that is very disappointing.
Interesting video, some of it comes right out of the Communist Manifesto.
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While reading a western book (1800s & early 1900s) the ranchers were having a difficult time paying land taxes – drought was the main reason and later the market crash (which we have to figure was ‘planned’ probably by the same secret society ‘group’ (mindset) behind the IRS sting). The thought came to me, “If these ranchers ‘own’ that property why do they have to pay the Govt. taxes on it?” This isn’t like Bundy, paying the ‘state’ to graze his cattle on land that isn’t his, they ‘outright own it.’ Which is like any property owner, as you know. So, really there is no such thing as ‘owning’ property. It’s leasing and renting it and having to pay and abide under prescribed rules & regulations, which can change depending on the governing force ~ like the feudal days. Fabian Society is very close to what’s going on today in this Country.
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Bill Cooper used to make the same point about how people only rent or lease the land because of the taxes they are paying on it. If you don’t pay taxes and they can seize your land you do not really own it in the first place.
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I’ll second that.
After buying land from someone, you are then required to pay taxes, aka rent, to the state if you want to maintain ownership. If you don’t pay, the land is auctioned off and you get nothing.
You don’t buy land, you pay for the privilege of renting it from the state.
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Sad but true!
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This also means IRS Commissioner Koskine term is expiring and Trump wants any unsettled issues resolved before the new commish starts
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Good point.
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