The Blacklist Declassified

🔴 Bibliography: Money in Politics

 
Note: To find best articles, search for 💙💙💙
 

Summary

 
References are made in episodes 3:22 and 3:23 to campaign finance law, Citizens United, 501(c)4 organizations, PACs (political action committees) and Super PACs. Current law does not allow for contributions to political campaigns by non-US citizens. These matters are are connected and are described in this backgrounder:

There are three IRS organization types which can receive ‘political’ donations: 501(c)3 Charity Organizations, 501(c)4 Social Welfare Organizations, and 527 Political Organizations. They differ in how they are taxed and whether contributions to them must be publicly disclosed. In particular, 501(c)4s do not require disclosure. When the US Supreme Court ruled in th case of Citizens United, it lifted the caps on corporate and other organizational contributions to campaigns but encouraged that legislation be passed to make all organizations, including 501(c)4 Social Welfare organizations, disclose their donors. An attempt was made to pass such legislation (the “DISCLOSE” Act) but it failed by one vote in the Senate, with Democrats voting for disclosure and Republicans voting against it.

With no action on the disclosure front, a record number of organizations (especially Super PACs) wanted to be registered as 501(c)4s, in order to avoid disclosure requirements. At first most of these were Tea Party or other conservative organizations. When the IRS noticed this uptick, they put in place protocols to flag these applications for special scrutiny. The IRS was accused on taking sides politically (remember Lois Lerner?) and the IRS lost the public relations war.

The end result was a huge amount of money flowing into 501(c)4s. At first most new organizations appeared on the Right, but the Democrats soon followed. Many of the ads Americans will see during the 2016 election that are sponsored by organizations with unfamiliar names will likely have been paid for by 501(c)4s. The public and media have no way of knowing who is ponying up the cash. But the candidates know – and they know they are indebted to these sponsors, thus “cronyism” – America’s unique and creative approach to political corruption.

Foreign nationals and foreign organizations are not allowed to donate to US political campaigns, but if they do so under a 501(c)4, they cannot be identified as foreigners. This is what Alexander Kirk (Blacklist episodes 3:22 and 3:23) has done. He is a foreigner who is funding a US Presidential campaign to the tune of $300,000,000 (a lot! even by recent standards). Originally, if Senator Diaz were to win the election, he would have been “owned” by Alexander Kirk. Now, however, Red has Kirk’s money and he has his own demands of the Senator, should Diaz be elected President. – LizzieB

Cross-posted under Intel and Analysis: Deep Background and Episode 3:23 Alexander Kirk – Conclusion.

● “While liberal advocacy groups had pushed for rules on campaign financing and ‘dark money’—political contributions from undisclosed sources—conservatives manufactured a crisis to pressure IRS Commissioner John Koskinen into delaying a transparency rule that would apply to dark money in the 2016 election cycle.

● “The rule the agency had put on hold was intended to mitigate the impact of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, which permits corporations to spend unlimited funds on political campaigns.

● “In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote: ‘The First Amendment protects political speech; and disclosure permits citizens and shareholders to react to the speech of corporate entities in a proper way. This transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages.‘ (Emphasis added.)”

● “In response to Kennedy’s nod toward disclosure, legislators in the House and Senate worked throughout 2010 to pass the DISCLOSE Act, which would have mandated reporting and disclosure for groups making independent expenditures for or against candidates. The bill passed the House in June 2010 but failed by one vote to overcome a unanimous Republican filibuster in the Senate.” [ Emphasis added ]

 
💙💙💙 NYT, Thomas Edsall: Who Needs a Smoke-Filled Room? Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers & the End of Political Transparency http://nyti.ms/1uklZky
// 9/9/2014
⇈ ⇊
● “A two-class structure of election financing is emerging” //➔ 1 for the 99%, 1 for the 1%
● By an awe-inspiring bit of DC logic, “exclusively” now means “> 49%”
“(you have to live in Washington to believe this)”
● To stay w/in the 49% limit, Rove’s GPS gives to another 501(c)(4)s, instructing them not to spend on politics misleading ads — like the “$700M cuts to Mcare” bogeyman that will not die
● Use of “social welfare” 501(c)(4) orgs “has resulted in qualitative[❗] changes in the system of campaign finance”
● The Koch brothers have a network of 501(c)(4)s that passes💰 around, obscuring its use
● “‘It’s designed to make it opaque as to where the money is coming from & where [it’s] is going'”
● Orgs may simply change names, confounding💰tracking
one anonymous donor gave $22.5M to Rove’s GPS, another $18M; 2 gave $10M
● “Policing the hodgepodge of regulations, statutes & rulings governing elections has become virtually impossible”
● “Statutes & agencies have different ‘definitions’ for different purposes….”
● “‘If that is unclear to you,’ he added, ‘it should be.'” Koch
● ‘No layperson thought this up. It would only be worth it if you were spending the kind of dollars the Koch brothers are'”
● Lawyers, lawyers, – and – lawyers …
// “combination of lax regulation by the F.E.C., weak oversight by the I.R.S. and a Supreme Court majority blind to the corrosive power of money in politics has created a system of campaign finance dominated by those with vast fortunes answerable to no one but themselves”
● A feckless FEC, defanged IRS & a SCOTUS “blind to the corrosive power of money in politics” ➔ system dominated by 💰
● “The steady deregulation of election financing has disenfranchised ordinary voters”
● To stay w/in the 49% limit, Rove’s GPS gives to another 501(c)(4)s, instructing them not to spend on politics misleading ads — like the “$700M cuts to Mcare” bogeyman that will not die
‘wealthy donors … remain unaccountable to the electorate at large’
● “A kind of lawlessness prevails that is incompatible with the goals of democracy”
 

DEFINITIONS:. IRS 501(c)(4)s “Exclusively” vs “Primarily”

💙 CREW* Sues IRS for Failing to Revise Rules Governing 501(c)(4) Groups http://is.gd/mOFl2U *Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington
💙💙 CREW* Sues IRS for Failing to Revise Rules Governing 501(c)(4)s http://is.gd/mOFl2U *Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington
// 5/21/2013
⇈ ⇊
A.≣💙💙💙 CREW Lawsuit vs the IRS re: 501(c)(4) nonprofit “social welfare” organizations. Complaint [pdf] http://is.gd/XwG5ho 5/21/2013
// The discrepancy between the “operated exclusively” standard of the law and the “primarily engaged” language of the regulations has been controversial within the IRS ever since the regulations were enacted in 1959. The IRS revisited the problem multiple times in the 1960s and 1970s, but did nothing. Additionally, since 2011, at least two rulemaking petitions seeking to correct the problem have been filed, with the IRS responding merely that it is “aware” of the issue.
“Until now, it has been impossible to persuade the IRS or Congress to confront this issue. But now that the entire country has been educated about this previously obscure tax matter, this lawsuit may finally spur reform,” continued Ms. Sloan. “The current IRS scandal directly stems from the problematic regulation. Only by changing it can we be sure we won’t see a repeat of the current debacle.”

B. 💙💙💙 HuffPo, Paul Blumenthal: #IRS Scandal Brings Senate Democrats’ Focus To 501(c)(4) Abuse http://is.gd/BNIJ4J
// “This spending is allowed thanks to a difference between the tax law and IRS regulations for these nonprofit groups. The law says that 501(c)(4) organizations must be operated “exclusively” for the purpose of social welfare, while the IRS regulation defines “exclusively” as “primarily.” This difference has created a substantial amount of confusion within and outside the agency around what constitutes political activity, and officials say it played a part in the abuses uncovered in the inspector general’s report.”

C. 💙💙💙 Dkos (May): The IRS screwed up. No political group should enjoy 501(c)(4) status http://is.gd/RAOjhA
// “Then in 1959 the IRS redefined the term ‘promotion of social welfare”p’ to depart radically from the statute:…”
// “The current version of the Revenue Act of 1913 provides a tax exemption for:
Civil leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare or local associations of employees, the membership of which is limited to the employees of a designated person or persons in a particular municipality, and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.
26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(4)(A)(emphasis added)
Then in 1959 the IRS redefined the term “promotion of social welfare” to depart radically from the statute:
[a]n organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting in some way the common good and general welfare of the people of the community. An organization embraced within this section is one which is operated primarily for the purpose of bringing about civic betterments and social improvements.
Treas. Reg. § 1.501(c)(4)-1(a)(2)(i)(emphasis added)
The source for this information is the watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Here is a link to CREW’s rulemaking petition to the IRS.

💙💙💙 Msnbc, Sarah Muller (May): ‘Exclusively’ vs. ‘primarily’: IRS law a ‘disaster waiting to happen’ http://is.gd/w97SjG
// “The original statute passed by Congress requires 501(c)(4) organizations engaged exclusively in social welfare activities,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. “But in 1959, Treasury Department issued a regulation that requires these entities only to be primarily engaged in social welfare activities. As a result, many groups now believe they can spend up to 49% of their funds on campaign-related activities.”

💙 OccupyDemocrats: Harry Reid Calls Out the Koch Brothers: ‘They’re Trying to Buy the Country’ http://is.gd/jMREWc & in secret
 

💙💙💙 Dkos: PLEASE Comment on the Proposed New Rules for IRS “Social Welfare” Organizations http://is.gd/CgpoTn 1/31/2014

The IRS is accepting comments regarding a proposed change in the amount of political activity allowed by “social welfare” organizations, or 501(c)(4)s. If you watch The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, you are familiar with the fact that due to an incorrect interpretation of the Law by those who wrote the IRS guidelines for these organizations, you can run a truck through the definition of a 501(c)(4).

The loose definition of social welfare organizations has allowed very politically organizations such as Tea Party groups & also progressive groups (though less so) to not have to disclose their donors.

There is an IRS category for political groups, 527. These groups must disclose their donors. The proposed changes would greatly limit the amount of political activity allowed by 501(c)(4)s, which would steer political organizations into the 527 category.

The comment period for this proposed change ends Feb 27. So far, most of the comments are from the right wing claiming that the changes will inhibit freedom of speech. This is not true. These groups can simply file as 527s & speak as much as they want.

Senator Schumer and other Senators sent this letter http://is.gd/O5VedQ to the IRS urging these changes be made. With the House under the control of the GOP, no legislative fix is foreseeable. However, another path is being pursued by Senator Van Hollen and CREW to challenge the current IRS interpretation of the statute in court.

But the most promising short term fix is this proposed change to the definition of 502(c)(4)s by the IRS itself. For that, we need progressives to comment on the Proposed Rule to argue our case & offset the onslaught of misguided comments from the right.

Please follow this link to Comment on the Proposed Rule: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

This is the comment I left:

Comment on IRS “Social Welfare” organizations

💙💙💙 The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Public Submission: Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations on Candidate-Related Political Activities (REG-134417-13)

Your Comment Tracking Number: 1jy-8a6d-gjpo

These changes are long overdue and do no more than correct the interpretation of a statute requiring that 501(c)(4) organizations be “exclusively” for “social welfare.” Inexplicably, “exclusively” came to interpreted to mean <49%.

Reinstating the meaning of this statute does not infringe on freedom of speech since organizations can simply file as political organizations (527s). Organizations of all political persuasions have flocked to registering as 501(c)(4)s for one reason: to hide the names of their members & contributors. This allows wealthy individuals & organizations to influence political campaigns in secret.

The American people have a right to know who is paying for advertisements & other political information & activities so they can properly understand what vested interests may be involved.

Changing the regulations to comply with the clear statutory intent will go a long way toward restoring transparency in our political processes in a post-CItizens United world. Let political organizations file under 527 instead of 501(c)(4).

This issue has lit up the right wing press & resulted in a heated exchange between McConnell & Reid on Thursday http://is.gd/4xVQOP. As Reid mentioned the Koch brothers, they entered the fray as well http://is.gd/UCMtJC

Please help with this effort by leaving a comment. It matters. A lot.

ADDENDUM

Adam B ISSUE:

Comment: The American people have a right to know who is paying for advertisements & other political information & activities so they can properly understand what vested interests may be involved.

NAACP v Alabama (1958):
Effective advocacy of both public and private points of view, particularly controversial ones, is undeniably enhanced by group association, as this Court has more than once recognized by remarking upon the close nexus between the freedoms of speech and assembly. De Jonge v. Oregon, 299 U.S. 353, 364; Thomas v. Collins, 323 U.S. 516, 530. It is beyond debate that freedom to engage in association for the advancement of beliefs and ideas is an inseparable aspect of the “liberty” assured by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which embraces freedom of speech. See Gitlow v. New York, 268 U.S. 652, 666; Palko v. Connecticut, 302 U.S. 319, 324; Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296, 303; Staub v. City of Baxley, 355 U.S. 313, 321. Of course, it is immaterial whether the beliefs sought to be advanced by association pertain to political, economic, religious or cultural matters, and state action which may have the [p461] effect of curtailing the freedom to associate is subject to the closest scrutiny….
In the domain of these indispensable liberties, whether of speech, press, or association, the decisions of this Court recognize that abridgment of such rights, even though unintended, may inevitably follow from varied forms of governmental action…

It is hardly a novel perception that compelled disclosure of affiliation with groups engaged in advocacy may constitute as effective a restraint on freedom of association as the forms of governmental action in the cases above were thought likely to produce upon the particular constitutional rights there involved. This Court has recognized the vital relationship between freedom to associate and privacy in one’s associations. When referring to the varied forms of governmental action which might interfere with freedom of assembly, it said in American Communications Assn. v. Douds, supra, at 402:

A requirement that adherents of particular religious faiths or political parties wear identifying armbands, for example, is obviously of this nature.
Compelled disclosure of membership in an organization engaged in advocacy of particular beliefs is of the same order. Inviolability of privacy in group association may in many circumstances be indispensable to preservation of freedom of association, particularly where a group espouses dissident beliefs. Cf. United States v. Rumely, supra, at 56-58 (concurring opinion).
We think that the production order, in the respects here drawn in question, must be regarded as entailing the likelihood of a substantial restraint upon the exercise by petitioner’s members of their right to freedom of association. Petitioner has made an uncontroverted showing that, on past occasions, revelation of the identity of its rank-and-file members has exposed these members to economic reprisal, loss of employment, threat of physical coercion, and other manifestations of public hostility. Under these circumstances, we think it apparent that compelled disclosure of petitioner’s Alabama membership is likely to affect adversely the ability of petitioner and its members to pursue their collective effort to foster beliefs which they admittedly have the right to advocate, in that it may induce members to withdraw from the Association and dissuade others from joining it because of fear of exposure of their beliefs shown through their associations and of the consequences of this exposure.

by Adam B on Fri Jan 31, 2014 at 08:52:04 AM CST

Auriandra REPLY:

Yeah, I heard about this case. But it seems to me this is not a matter of freedom of association, but of, basically, money-laundering. Also, the NAACP was concerned about the safety of its members. Kind of a joke in the case of the Tea Party, as the right has all the guns.

But the main difference if that in this case, 501(c)(4)s are being used to hide the source of campaign financing, so that people don’t know, for instance, that oil companies are behind attack ads on candidates in favor of carbon regulation. I hope the preference of donors to remain unseen would not trump the greater need of the people as a whole to be able to make informed decisions about who will represent them.

I believe that SCOTUS in Citizens United did not take a position against disclosure of donors. I don’t know whether they would object to this particular method of disclosure. And it does seem, to me at least, that the law as originally established had one category for political groups & another for social welfare groups, & these simply got muddied when the regulations were written.

During the IRS hearings, both Treasury & the IRS indicated that they believed making adjustments to the regulations was within their jurisdiction. I assume that’s what their lawyers are telling them now.

“All politics is national.”

by Auriandra on Fri Jan 31, 2014 at 09:20:33 AM CST

Dkos ISSUE:

Let’s start with some basics: in Citizens United, the Court was 8-1 in favor of disclosure when it came to contributors to election-speech efforts. But not everything c4s do — in fact, most of what they do (by law) can have nothing to do with elections — it has to be public policy and social welfare related.

The question is when the information provided by disclosure is more valuable than the donors’ associational interest in privacy. To me, that’s only when the speech is truly election-related, and that’s more a matter for the FEC and Congress than IRS.

Auriandra REPLY:

But the code does req “political” orgs to disclose
The change the IRS is trying to make is simply to change the amount of allowed political activity from its current level (of up to 50%) to a much smaller percentage (say 5%). As the actual statute uses the expression ‘EXCLUSIVELY for social welfare’ it does not seem reasonable that as much as 50% of activity should be allowed to be political. If the change is made, the number & kind of organizations that would qualify to be 501(c)(4)s would be fewer, but these would still be allowed to have members/donors whose identities are protected.

When Congress established this law, it also set up a category for “political organizations,” 527. This group of organizations DOES require disclosure of members/donors. I assume that the courts would not throw out this entire category based on the idea that “political” 527 organizations are ALSO entitled to keep their donors/members’ identities secret.

Then again, knowing our current SCOTUS, they just might.

“All politics is national.”

Other Articles

Note: It may come as a surprise to some that the IRS “scandal” ended in favor of the IRS. No one went to jail. No one lost their government benefits. Lois Lerner was vindicated. The White House was never implicated. What the several investigations did show were essentially three things: 1) The regulations regarding “dark money” do not reflect the original legislative intent, 2) the IRS is severely underfunded, likely intentionally, and 3) therefore “dark money” funded through 501(c)4 organizations (and the corruption and crony capitalism it enables) will continue to dominate campaign finance in the United States for the foreseeable future. – LizzieB90 5/28/2016

Order is reverse chronological:
Note: To find best articles, search for 💙💙💙
 
⭕ 23 Dec 2014

NYT (12/23): Inquiry Into IRS Lapses Shows No Links to White House http://nyti.ms/1AliHAX but will keep looking under Chaffetz

⭕ 11 Nov 2014

WSJ: At Last, a Chance to Get to the Bottom of the IRS Mess http://on.wsj.com/1uZ8Yjf
// Comment: It all comes down to one word: “exclusively.” The law says 501(c)(4)s are to be used for organizations which are “exclusively” for social welfare. One would think this excludes political organizations, which have their own IRS category. For the former, contributors don’t have to be identified. For the latter they do. This controversy is about one thing: preventing the American people from knowing who is buying their government.

⭕ 26 Sep 2014

NonprofitWebAdvisor: IRS Treatment of 501(c)(4) Organizations Not Politically Biased, Senate Inquiry Finds http://bit.ly/1rr6x5m
↺ ↻
SenSubOnInvestigations: Subcommittee Releases Report & Dissenting Views on IRS Handling of 501(c)(4) Applications http://1.usa.gov/1yuxpXj
// 9/5/2014
↥ ↧
▧ Senate Report: IRS & TIGTA Mgmt Failures Related to 501(c)(4) Applicants Engaged in Campaign Activities [pdf] http://1.usa.gov/1uOnZjg 228p
// 9/5/2014, Committee on Investigations: Carl Levin, Chair; John McCain, Ranking Rep

NonprofitQuarterly, Rick Cohen (9/7): Beyond Lerner: Fixing the IRS Interaction with Nonprofits http://bit.ly/1Cu7xJH
// 9/7/2014

⭕ 23 Sep 2014

Politico: Exclusive Interview: Lois Lerner breaks silence http://bit.ly/Zcwz1X “I’m doing just fine”

⭕ 7 Sep 2014

USAToday: Senate subcommittee: No political bias in IRS targeting http://usat.ly/1wdAaY3 ‘conservative groups not the only ones targeted’

WaPo: Senate clears IRS of bias in targeting scandal http://wapo.st/1uFdejo blames auditor for originating distortions GOP still pushes
WaPo: Senate panel clears IRS of bias in targeting scandal http://wapo.st/1uFdejo //➔ so Issa will back off now, right? (Never!)

⭕ 2 Sep 2014

CBPP: IRS Commissioner Confirms House-Passed Cuts to IRS Budget Could Be “Catastrophic” http://bit.ly/1r9vsKm pic.twitter.com/tVRcsJk1gZ

⭕ 21 Aug 2014

CommonDreams (Jan): Tax Avoidance On the Rise: It’s Twice the Amount of Social Security and Medicare http://bit.ly/1roYBDC

⭕ 1 Aug 2014

CPI: Hobbled IRS can’t stem ‘dark money’ flow http://bit.ly/1oTHtCP Mystery political spending to continue unabated thru midterm elections
PublicIntegrity: Hobbled IRS can’t stem ‘dark money’ flow http://bit.ly/1oTHtCP pic.twitter.com/gJyRRSBCb4 // five charts
↥ ↧
PublicIntegrity: How to fix the IRS nonprofit division – Agency employees, reformers offer three recommendations http://bit.ly/WQNq9q
↥ ↧
PublicIntegrity: Tea party scandal brews FOIA backlog at FEC – Election agency struggling to process deluge of requests http://bit.ly/1li9JKv
// 7/15, 7/17, 7/18/2014

RealNews[.]com: IRS Failing to Regulate Dark-Money Political Spending http://bit.ly/1nQ76UX psssst … that’s what Lois Lerner was trying to do

⭕ 23 Jul 2014

The IRS “scandal” is all about tax evasion, servicing the big GOP donors & demeaning & demoralizing a group of devoted public servants.

OversightDems: Top Ten Debunked GOP Claims on DOJ’s IRS Investigation http://1.usa.gov/1uewfwS
OversightDems: Ten Debunked GOP Claims on IRS Investigation http://1.usa.gov/1uewfwS
// 7/16//014, OversightDems: Cummings and Cartwright Issue New Memo with Transcript Excerpts Showing No Political Motivation or Targeting of Conservative Groups [pdf] http://1.usa.gov/1rK0Zl0 32p
⇈ ⇊
1. That DOJ Already Concluded Investigation
2. That DOJ Obstructed Oversight Committee
3. That Lead Attorney Has Conflict of Interest
4. That DOJ Created Illicit Registry
5. That Special Counsel Is Needed
6. That DOJ Is Ignoring Ways & Means Referral
7. That DOJ Is Ignoring Deliberate Computer Crash
8. That DOJ Is Motivated by Politics
9. That Prominent Dems Prompted Targeting
10. That “Citizens United” Prompted Targeting

⭕ 22 Jul 2014

JudicialWatch [RW]: Report: “The Continuing IRS Scandal” http://bit.ly/UqYic0 access to pdf //➔ highly partisan (suing IRS)
// must provide name & email to download
↥ ↧
JudicialWatch [RW]: Report: “The Continuing IRS Scandal” [pdf] http://bit.ly/1mBJf67 20p
// 2013

⭕ 21 Jul 2014

Dkos: The pro-tax evasion, pro-deficits party strikes again http://bit.ly/1rvgZtA More IRS budget cuts… pic.twitter.com/JYrYxUEkCU
Dkos: The pro-tax evasion, pro-deficits party strikes again http://bit.ly/1rvgZtA Most recent review: $385B uncollected pic.twitter.com/eNrlW4sdpA
Dkos: The pro-tax evasion, pro-deficits party strikes again http://bit.ly/1rvgZtA Tax non-collection: components pic.twitter.com/vzdm6tHayG
Dkos: The pro-tax evasion, pro-deficits party strikes again http://bit.ly/1rvgZtA Audit likelihood has decreased over time… pic.twitter.com/KCmcJWfU9B
Dkos: The pro-tax evasion, pro-deficits party strikes again http://bit.ly/1rvgZtA IRS budget per capita is down pic.twitter.com/gGJ62mJYIo

⭕ 19 Jul 2014

Oversight Committee Hearing (7/17): Examining the Justice Department’s Response to the IRS Targeting Scandal http://1.usa.gov/UimWM7

HuffPo: Republicans Freak Out At Learning Reagan Decree Protects Lois Lerner http://huff.to/1ms1laJ

⭕ 10 Jul 2014

MMFA: Will The Media Carry Water For Darrell Issa — Again? http://bit.ly/1trFqtD Lerner email about email & office messaging system IRS
// Lerner sent message 4/9/2013, raised issue at conference on 4/11/2013; clearly was cautioning about forward-looking use of email. Question about office messaging system was framed as “someone asked.” Entire email:
“I was cautioning folks about email and how we have had several occasions where Congress has asked for emails and there has been an electronic search for responsive emails — so we need to be cautious about what we say in emails,” she wrote to Maria Hooke, the director of business systems planning for the tax-exempt division. “Someone asked if OCS conversations were also searchable — I don’t know. … Do you know?” From Politico http://politi.co/1mDaWPZ

Should call the IRS & Benghazi Hearings Yellathons.

⭕ 5 Jul

💙💙💙 NYT Editorial: The Real Internal Revenue Scandal http://nyti.ms/1j5xpWI
⇈ ⇊
● “the real scandal is what Republicans did to cripple the agency when virtually no one was looking”
● ‘Since 2010, the IRS budget has been cut by 14% meaning less enforcement of the tax laws’
● There is a $385B annual gap between what taxpayers owe & what they pay
● Underfunding the IRS amounts to ‘an unintended tax cut, mostly for the rich, equal to 11% of this year’s spending’
● In 2013, the IRS could audit only 24% of returns >$10M,compared w 30% in 2010
‘Of returns reporting $1M–$5M, it audited 16% in 2013, compared w 21% in 2010’
● ‘Lawmakers are debilitating revenue collection while claiming to be deeply worried about the budget deficit’
● ‘Revenue from IRS enforcement actions has fallen by more than $4B over the last 4 years’
● “Every dollar spent on enforcement yields $6 in additional revenue”
● “Budget cutters are also trying to prevent the agency from…collecting higher taxes on the rich” to pay for the ACA
● ‘The IRS also has to collect more information about assets held in offshore accounts under a 2010 law’
● “House Republicans have proposed cutting IRS funding by yet another $341M in 2015, to $10.9B”
● A House bill would ‘outlaw the agency’s collection of the ACA’s individual mandate penalty’
● ‘The IRS needs more people & resources, not fewer’

⭕ 2 Jul 2014

NYT: NYT Commissioner John Koskinen, on Hot Seat, Has History of Bureaucratic Rescue Jobs http://nyti.ms/1xjhNSk

Msnbc: Is the IRS email scandal a scandal? NBC’s Luke Russert & Steve Kornacki discuss http://on.msnbc.com/1vxe7Ke

⭕ 29 Jun 2014

—–v Acorn Innocent

#ACORN was not a “criminal organization.” No indictment ever prevailed. As for @DarrellIssa, not so much pic.twitter.com/DLXUcUXMya

CommonDreams (Jun 2010): ACORN Vindicated of Wrongdoing by the Congressional Watchdog Office http://bit.ly/1maXAM5

BradBlog (Dec 2009): ACORN Cleared YET AGAIN of Wrongdoing http://bit.ly/1lFxSym list of judgements clearing ACORN to date [ALL]

NPR (2009): ACORN Workers Cleared Of Illegality By Outside Probe http://n.pr/1mvq9hy

FoxNews (Mar 2010): ACORN Workers Cleared in NYC Pimp Video http://fxn.ws/1k2spx0 //➔ James O’Keefe ordered to pay ACORN $100K

RawStory (Jun 2010): Congressional report clears ACORN of wrongdoing — after group forced to disband http://bit.ly/1pCAfFH

PeoplesWorld (2010): GAO probe clears ACORN of mishandling federal funds http://bit.ly/1lpCT9c

Forbes (Mar 2013): James O’Keefe Pays $100,000 To ACORN Employee He Smeared-Conservative Media Yawns http://onforb.es/1pCzXyq
❌❌❌—–^

⭕ 28 Jun 2014

Politico: Lois Lerner fights back http://politi.co/1yXmyCX
speaks thru lawyer on lost emails & Grassley accusations: ‘seizing on small bits’
“congressional investigation w no pretense of objectivity or bipartisanship” – lawyer

⭕ 27 Jun 2014

HuffPo: Darrell Issa Demands Emails From Lois Lerner From Before Email Really Existed http://huff.to/1m5LfJh IRS FEC

USNews: Cutting More Meat Than Fat: Cuts to IRS spending & other services are costing taxpayers big http://bit.ly/1iCpK2h

WaPo: A timeline of IRS’s missing e-mails http://wapo.st/TpS4sh //➔ once again, Republican accusations don’t withstand scrutiny

ThinkProgress (Apr 2014): New Records: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party http://bit.ly/1jRjxuF
TP (Apr 2014): New: IRS Targeted Progressive Grps MORE Extensively Than Tea Party http://bit.ly/1jRjxuF pic.twitter.com/TnEDkx3zpT @Morning_Joe

NYT: About Those New Lois Lerner Emails… http://nyti.ms/1sIQz8V “as w previous smoking guns … the truth is not nearly so outrageous”
NYT: About Those New Lois Lerner Emails… http://nyti.ms/1sIQz8V “as w prev smoking guns…the truth is not nearly so outrageous” @Morning_Joe
// Grassley

The VA scandal is real FastAndFurious, IRS and Benghazi are fake. Leaking NOM was one bad employee (of 100K) @Morning_Joe @MorningMika

They have gotten copies of Lerner’s emails from 84 main people she sent emails to, which @JoeNBC doesn’t know @Morning_Joe @MorningMika

None of the IRS claims have panned out, but the accusations get more coverage than the follow-up facts. “Not a smidgen” holds @Morning_Joe

⭕ 26 Jun 2014

WaPo FactChecker: IRS ‘Scandal’ http://wapo.st/1m0hnxJ Lois Lerner’s computer “crashed” because: Dave Camp’s letter:
// three PINOCCHIOS

MMFA: WaPo Debunks Fox’s Claim Linking GOP Letter To Crashed IRS Computer http://bit.ly/1pQQlcl & other debunked claims

DailyBeast, Tomasky: Lois Lerner Must Be Clairvoyant http://thebea.st/1jPW0JG IRS
⇈ ⇊
“all of these revelations have looked dubious at first glance” – but …
‘All IRS revelations have fizzled ‘ –
1. It wasn’t just groups on the right that were targeted
2. IRS head didn’t ‘go to White House 155 times’
3. Idea that Obama was ‘involved’ is “utterly crazy”
4. “Federal government computers crash all the time” ➔ GOP won’t fund operations
5. ‘Requirements for data preservation are fairly lax
6. ‘Remember when the Bush White House lost 5 million emails?’
7. ‘Remember when the “torture is legal” emails went missing?’
“Obama’s no Nixon, and Lois Lerner is no Rose Mary Woods”

Slate, David Weigel: New IRS Scandal: Lois Lerner Thought About Doing Something, Then Didn’t Do It http://slate.me/1yQ5RJI //➔ egads!

⭕ 24 Jun 2014

Hope whatever they want to use for IRS backups isn’t the same they use for zombie – err, “live” – streaming. Horrible transmission!

OversightDems: Press Release: Cummings Issues Statement on Unilateral Issa Subpoena to White House Attorney http://1.usa.gov/1o06uKT

OversightDems: Cummings: Lerner Computer Crash Resulted From Technological Failure, Not “Nefarious” Activity http://1.usa.gov/1quhUrf

NYT (6/23): Testy Exchange Erupts as IRS Chief Is Questioned on Messages http://nyti.ms/VelfAp

Mediaite: IRS Hearing Goes Off the Rails After Issa Lectures Dem on Committee Rules http://bit.ly/1o087Ix

WSJ: White House Lawyer to Testify About Lost IRS Emails http://on.wsj.com/1jKYlWy [backstory to current hearing]

⭕ 23 Jun 2014

NYT: “Further, [Koskinen] said, the committee had been put on notice last fall that some of Ms. Lerner’s emails had disappeared” @MorningMika @JoeNBC

NYT Letter: Integrity of the IRS Chief http://nyti.ms/1pIk3Ab “honorable, decent & honest,” “above reproach” @Morning_Joe @MorningMika

⭕ 23 Jun 2014

≣ OversightComm, Darrell Issa (6/16): How Politics Led the IRS to Target Conservative Tax-Exempt Applicants… [pdf] http://1.usa.gov/1iAhAH8 77p
// 6/16/2014

🔥 Investors[.]com [R]: Trail Of Lost IRS Emails Might Lead To White House http://bit.ly/1iyRdS4

Dkos, jamess: Karl Rove’s “Social Welfare” activities get FEC’s Seal of Approval http://bit.ly/1roV980 //➔ only hope is IRS reg rewrite

⭕ 21 Jun 2014

Cspan: Ways&Means on IRS, Clip: Rep Lloyd Doggett on Lerner Emails http://bit.ly/1qBn8Uh great takedown of “scandals”

⭕ 20 Jun 2014

Lloyd Doggett @RepLloydDoggett
During today’s hearing w/IRS commissioner, I received outrage from those obsessed w/finding nonexistent conspiracies: http://bit.ly/SXOJjS

House GOP doesn’t hold “Hearings” so much as “Yellings.” @cspanchat

⭕ 16 Jun 2014

NYT: IRS Commissioner Is Called to Testify About Lost Emails http://nyti.ms/1lufAuM

⭕ 14 Jun 2014

Lerner’s initial account of what happened http://bit.ly/1fnIHyv is utterly credible…
…”there is a difference between unanswered questions & unlistened-to answers” – Hillary Clinton on Benghazi

WSJ OpEd: The IRS Loses Lerner’s Emails – & other news that the Beltway press corps won’t cover http://on.wsj.com/1mV5p3M
this is rich
//➔ you go, girl!
“can’t find two years of emails from Lois Lerner to the Departments of Justice or Treasury”
“the IRS, days before the 2010 election, shipped a 1.1M page database about tax-exempt groups to the FBI”
‘Ms Lerner was meeting to discuss the possibility of using campaign-finance laws, to prosecute nonprofits’
‘under section of the law that allows prosecutors to broadly claim a conspiracy to defraud the US’
// “Opinion” – unsigned

⭕ 13 Jun 2014

Ways&Means: IRS Claims to Have Lost Over 2 Years of Lerner Emails http://1.usa.gov/1kxV10d
CNN (2007!): White House: Millions of e-mails may be missing http://cnn.it/1pYwEyh
⇊ ⇊
Ways&Means: >2yrs of IRS Emails Missing http://1.usa.gov/1kxV10d
CNN (2007): White House: Millions of e-mails missing http://cnn.it/1pYwEyh
#irony

⭕ 3 Jun 2014

💙💙 Cspan: Senators McConnell v Durbin on EPA Rules & Global Warming [video18m] http://cs.pn/SrbYmv climate

Dkos: Reid, McConnell square off on money in politics http://bit.ly/1h5QFSP testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Dkos: In Senate hearing, Reid reads off McConnell’s own 1987 proposed Amendment to impose campaign spending limits http://bit.ly/1h5QFSP
// campaign contributions

Cspan: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Campaign Finance http://cs.pn/1koaeGT Sens Reid & McConnell testified
// First Amendment, dark money

At 10:30am @SenatorReid & McConnell will testify to Senate Judiciary Comm on Money in Politics http://bit.ly/1lMfXSc pic.twitter.com/867UcAid0R
// poll: American views of money in politics politics

Dkos: Reid, McConnell to provide rare testimony on money in politics http://bit.ly/1wYxlfg Judiciary Hearing, Today at 10:30amET

⭕ 22 May 2014

NYT: IRS Delays New Rules on Taxation for Activists http://nyti.ms/SrpDub “postpones public hearings originally expected for this summer”
// “more efficient and useful to hold a public hearing after we publish the revised proposed regulation”

⭕ 9 May 2014

v—– IRS Also Targeted Liberals
Comment to NYT, Jeremy Peters: House Vote on Former IRS Official Signals Element of GOP Election Strategy http://nyti.ms/1kTTSk2

There is ample evidence left-wing groups were also targeted:
IRS Training Slides 7/28/2010 showing the IRS also targeted LW groups http://is.gd/4QAyik
IRS Training Slides 7/28/2010 showing the IRS also targeted LW groups http://is.gd/4QAyik
TheAtlantic: Proof the IRS Didn’t Target Just Conservatives http://bit.ly/PTEDzM list
TPM: IRS Delayed Action on Progressive Groups, Too http://bit.ly/1n6sTEV & even religious progressive groups: one such application took 7 yrs
NPR: Liberal groups had to endure delays, produce extensive documentation, answer dozens of questions http://is.gd/rn9TjE 6 examples
“Tea Party groups howled [for] being asked to prove they weren’t political… Progressive groups saw [it] as the IRS doing their job.” http://bit.ly/1huIPkX
@bdcory IRS Training Slides 7/28/2010 showing the IRS also targeted LW groups http://is.gd/4QAyik
The latest:

ThinkProgress (Apr 2014): New Records: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party http://bit.ly/1jRjxuF
^—–

⭕ 29 Apr 2014

TruthOut/ProPublica: What Happens When a Dark Money Group Blows Off IRS Rules? Nothing http://bit.ly/1mVfUqj

⭕ 23 Apr 2014

💙💙 ThinkProgress: New Records: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party http://bit.ly/1jRjxuF pic.twitter.com/WX0EFGnJvn
ThinkProgress: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party http://bit.ly/1jRjxuF //➔ study didn’t even include terms like “green”

WaPo: IRS gave bonuses to employees who owed back taxes. And that’s not all. http://wapo.st/1nH2u0U
#IRS 💥SCANDAL💥: http://wapo.st/1nH2u0U & something about bonuses

💙💙 CBPP: CBO Finds Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Is an Even Better Deal for States http://bit.ly/1nGJZtt ACA pic.twitter.com/6cSG1jepWE

💙 WaPo, Sargent: Conventional wisdom about 2014 takes another hit http://wapo.st/1noXyjL Pryor +10, Hagan +2, McConnell +1; ACA mood ✚for GOP
WaPo, Sargent: Conventional wisdom about 2014 takes another hit http://wapo.st/1noXyjL GOP to run v Reid, defending Koch brothers //➔ :-D

💙💙 If people (incl Oversight) would read 1) what Lois Lerner said at the tax conference ✛ the TIGTA report, the IRS “scandal” would go *poof.*

💙💙💙 NYT, Thomas Edsall: Scandals Republicans Like http://nyti.ms/1fnwR7s IRS ‘what if the IRS is simply not adequately funded?’
⇈ ⇊
● “Republican zeal for reducing the size of govt…has left the IRS ill-equipped to perform its functions”
● “applications between 2009 & 2012 for a 501(c)(4) doubled from 1,751 to 3,357”
● Increased workload triggered use of be-on-the-lookout lists as a timesaver
● ‘The IRS appropriation has gone up under Dems & down under the GOP’
● “Current level of funding is clearly less than what the agency needs” – IRS Dir
● ‘In FY 2012, [audit] collections were $53.3B, down by $4.2B from 4yrs earlier’
● ‘In FY 2012, [audit] collections $5.9B less than the high point of $59.2B in 2007’
● ‘Cuts in agency funding have reduced audits of corps & of wealthy citizens’
● ‘The IRS audited 13% fewer business returns in 2013 than 2012’
● “Republicans are aware of what happens to tax collections from the rich when the IRS budget is cut”
● “The IRS-Tea Party debacle…ignores the genuinely deleterious effects of slashing the federal tax collection budget”
● GOP Oversight Committee Issued 1052 subpoenas under Clinton, 3 under Bush
● “It’s no fun serving on an oversight committee when your own party is running the executive branch”

💙 TheAtlantic (5/17/2013): There Was No Surge in IRS Tax-Exempt Applications in 2010 http://bit.ly/1ri8fnP
// 501(c)(4)s: 1735 ➔ 3357 [2 x 1735 = 3470]

💙 NYT, Weisman (5/10/2013): IRS Apologizes to Tea Party Groups Over Audits of Applications for Tax Exemption http://nyti.ms/1jJ1Q08
// “to respond to a surge in applications for tax-exempt status between 2010 and 2012” “to more than 2,400.”

💙💙 If people (incl Oversight) would read 1) what Lois Lerner said at the tax conference ✛ the TIGTA report, the IRS “scandal” would go *poof.*

≣💙💙 TIGTA Report (2013): Inappropriate Criteria Were Used To Identify Tax-Exempt Organizations For Review http://bit.ly/1tDBWBI Teaparty
// 5/14/2013

💙💙 ElectionLawBlog (5/11/2013): Transcript of Lois Lerner’s Remarks at Tax Meeting Sparking IRS Controversy http://bit.ly/1fnIHyv
// Posted on May 11, 2013 7:37 am by Rick Hasen
// “But between 2010 and 2012 we started seeing a very big uptick in the number of 501(c)(4) applications we were receiving and many of these organizations applying more than doubled, about 1500 in 2010 and over 3400 in 2012.”

💙💙 Lois Lerner did not say IRS exempt unit had an uptic in applics “in 2010,” but “between 2010 and 2012” http://bit.ly/1fnIHyv [transcript]

💙💙 Lerner: The of applics “more than doubled” from “about 1500 in 2010” to “over 3400 in 2012.” Close: 1735➔3357 http://bit.ly/1ri8fnP

💙💙 Lois Lerner did not say “rogue agents,” but rather “our line people…” The source of “rogue agents” is described here: http://bit.ly/1mCpcKb

>>> ALL IRS-Related Tweets Here from now on…

⭕ 21 Apr 2014

💙💙💙 Dkos, Jon Perr: The real IRS scandal that’s costing Uncle Sam trillions http://bit.ly/1joqima
⇈ ⇊
● Oh yes: 2% of employees got bonuses they have to pay back
● GOP is attacking IRS budget, employees & mission
● The real IRS scandal: Republicans cutting IRS funding, costing us tons
● Difference between taxes collected & owed pic.twitter.com/Y5uY1aMFNP
● “The agency now has 10% fewer agents & officers than 5yrs ago” [89,500 now]
● “The ‘tax gap’…has mushroomed to an est. $500B from $195B in 1998” 🎈
● “The ‘tax gap’ [taxes owed but not collected] is more than the entire proj. budget deficit” 🎈
● GOP has become the “pro-deficits, pro-tax evasion” party – Jonathan Cohn
● “The really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway” – Pres GWB
● “You really can’t collect much money from upper-income people” – Art Laffer
● IRS is “the new Gestapo…headed in the direction of killing a lot of people” – Gov Paul LePage, (R-ME)
● IRS funding in on a downtrend pic.twitter.com/om4H9Kevag
● “The GOP during the Clinton admin…turn[ed] the priorities for auditing Americans upside-down”
● Attacks on the IRS “give comfort to tax cheats & discourage honest taxpayers” (NYT)
● Under the Clinton era GOP Congress “IRS staffing was slashed and audits of the wealthy dropped precipitously”
● “In 1999…the poor were more likely than the rich to have their tax returns audited”
● By 2006 cheating among the highest-income Americans was a major problem
● The tax gap for 2006 reached $385 billion pic.twitter.com/mK4tayoSAl
●’By 2010, projections put the tax gap as high as $500B/yr, ≃ 15% of the entire fed budget’
● The IRS now has “20,000 fewer total employees than in 1992″ [about 89,500 now] 🎈
●”Republicans have been treating the IRS like a political punching bag for years” – Bruce Bartlett
● GOP has been “cutting [IRS] personnel & restricting its ability to do its job” – Bartlett
● Under Obama, “finally reversed its decade-long bias for the wealthy” pic.twitter.com/YVPjEwygfr
● Under Obama, a new whistleblower program was set up (w rewards!): http://1.usa.gov/1eYuSvR
● New wave of Republican attacks on the IRS budget
● Due to budget cuts, “40% of calls to the IRS for help will go answered” 🎈
● Due to budget cuts, “60% of calls that get through have to wait 25 minutes” 🎈
● ‘2014 IRS appropriations are $11.29 billion – almost a billion less than it was in 2010’
● ‘The IRS budget has been cut by 7% total over the last 4yrs…despite a 4% rise in total tax filings’
● ‘For each additional dollar invested in the IRS, the agency will deliver $6 in new revenue’ 🎈
● “The agency now employs 10,000 fewer people & receives $900M less in fed funds than it did f4yrs ago” – Koskinen 🎈
● The average household pays about $3,400yr extra because others are evading taxes
● The average household pays about $3,400 EXTRA each year because others are evading taxes 🎈
●#IRS budget increases/cuts pic.twitter.com/fd58CLCWqa
● Amount of Income Reported to IRS (per TIGTA Russell George): pic.twitter.com/szDcW4dGJ9
// 2/27/2014 House Approp Comm http://cs.pn/1k0QmXG
● Economist at Brookings estimated unpaid taxes could range from $410B to $500B/yr 🎈
● An economist at Brookings estimated that owed but unpaid taxes could range from $410B to $500B/yr IRS
●”I have not figured out…why nobody seems to care whether we collect the revenue or not” – IRS Dir Koskinen 🎈

Demos: Who Is Cheating on Their Taxes? http://bit.ly/Qt68jU $3 Trillion Lost from 2001-2010 pic.twitter.com/HCalk4RbIY
Demos: Tax Cheats http://bit.ly/Qt68jU new debt added between 2001 & 2010: $7 Trillion; lost to tax evasion: $3 Trillion pic.twitter.com/HCalk4RbIY

Demos: Cost of Tax Evasion (2001-2010) http://bit.ly/1iE58Uw pic.twitter.com/XuqBCv3YNM
// $3.09Tr lost

Wikipedia: Countries w Largest Tax Evasion Amounts http://bit.ly/1mt5gXq pic.twitter.com/AC6HknWp7H

💙💙 Dkos: The real IRS scandal that’s costing Uncle Sam trillions http://bit.ly/1joqima pic.twitter.com/xSMIZ0bwmL 🎈
// tax evasion, difference between taxes owed & collected, tax shelters, tax havens

💙 AEI: The rich get more…audits, under Obama http://bit.ly/1i9RbPh pic.twitter.com/corJtMmVA9
// 6/3/2013 (2008-2012)

💙 OSPIRGFoundation: The Hidden Cost of Offshore Tax Havens http://bit.ly/1mqluAN pic.twitter.com/173jKGcZsb
// 2/5/2013, individual & corporate “total annuals,” tax evasion, tax shelters, tax havens

💙💙 Tweet: Treas Inspector Gen testified: Self-employed individuals non-farm busnses report only 44% of their income (2/27/2014) cs.pn/1qGf6Hp
Tweet: Treas Inspectr Gen testified: Self-employed individual cash-basis busnses report only 11% of their income (2/27/2014) cs.pn/1qGf6Hp
Tweet; Treas Inspector Gen testified: Underreported taxes last year were about $376 billion http://bit.ly/1mSdXwQ (2/27/2014)
Tweet: GAO: $376B “Tax Gap” http://1.usa.gov/1oCz3RO recovery rate is only about 15% pic.twitter.com/TYr0bro4bD
Tweet: GAO: In 2006, of $376B “Tax Gap,” only $65B was recovered 14.4%) http://1.usa.gov/1oCz3RO chart pic.twitter.com/TYr0bro4bD
// recovery rate only available from 2006 (text of article); see Notes for further doc

⭕ 17 Apr 2014

WSJ, Kim Strassel: The IRS Scandal Comes Into Focus http://on.wsj.com/1lamaJ1 Lois Lerner acted w/o White House involvement

⭕ 14 Apr 2014

NYT: Still Nothing on the IRS http://nyti.ms/P1xMmI Wallace hammers Boustany: no White House involvement

⭕ 13 Apr 2014

💙💙💙 ProPublica: What Newly Released Docs Tell Us About the IRS & How It Handles Dark Money Groups http://bit.ly/1iJGwHr
ProPublica: What New IRS Docs Tell Us About How It Handles Dark Money Groups http://bit.ly/1iJGwHr
⇈ ⇊
● Podcast: The Hidden Power of Dark Money
1. The IRS planned to deny the application of Crossroads GPS
2. The IRS planned to deny the applications of conservative groups that spent on elections after telling the IRS they wouldn’t
3. The IRS really is not equipped to police elections — and knows it
4. Most new liberal groups don’t apply to the IRS at all
5. Lerner may have considered applying to work at a leading liberal social welfare nonprofit
● The IRS planned to deny the application of Crossroads GPS
● ‘Crossroads GPS spent more than $90M from unknown donors in 2010 & 2012’
● ‘Crossroads GPS spent far more than any other dark money group in 2010 & 2012’
● Thomas Edsall argues that the IRS investigation was intended to keep them from Crossroads & Koch groups
● ‘In late 2012, Crossroads’ application was released to ProPublica, though it wasn’t supposed to be’
● “Crossroads told the IRS that its political spending ‘will be limited in amount'”
● The IRS received 25 complaints about Crossroads GPS between 2010 & 2012
● The IRS planned to deny the applications of conservative groups
● “we have worked very hard to be consistent & have all our cases worked by one group” – Lerner
● “…how dangerous what we do can be” – Lerner; she was right, wasn’t she?
● Of all the groups listed in a 2011 spreadsheet as being flagged for review, only a progressive group was denied
● The IRS really is not equipped to police elections — and knows it
● Lerner refused to discuss conservative groups w 2 watchdogs, leaving them “frustrated”
● Campaign Legal Center complained “The IRS hasn’t done anything” to reign in political spending
● “Social welfare nonprofits don’t have to be recognized by the IRS” tcot
● “Priorities USA, never applied to the IRS for recognition”
● “Liberal dark money groups have been much less active in elections”
● “About 85% of the anonymous money spent in 2010 & 2012 came from conservative groups”
● Most new liberal groups don’t apply to the IRS at all for 501(c)(4) status: It’s not required tcot

From my notes (I re-watched on cspan 2X because I couldn’t believe what he was saying):

2/27/2014, Russell George TIGTA:
U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)
➔ before the Subcommittee on Financial Services & General Government of the Appropriations Committee
💙💙💙
➢ Individuals subject to withholding report 99% of their income
➢ Self-employed individuals non-farm businesses report 44% of their income‼️
➢ Self-employed people operating businesses on a cash basis report only 11% of their income
‼️
Noted that more & more people becoming self-employed since onset of the Recession.
Response:
💙💙Rep Yoder: It’s about not under-staffing, it’s about the tax code! Simplify the tax code & you won’t need more people, you’ll need fewer! Rep Crenshaw: if we had a fair tax, we wouldn’t need the IRS!
Also, the IG talked about the Tax Gap: the underreporting tax gap last year is about $376 billion. http://bit.ly/&#8230; (2006, $450B tax gap, eventually recovered $65B [14.4%!] http://1.usa.gov/&#8230; – GAO)

💙 MotherJones: Hillary Clinton Blasts the Supreme Court for Ruining Campaign Finance http://bit.ly/Q4tqwc IRS SCOTUS
‘With the rate SCOTUS is going, there will be only 3 or 4 people in the whole country who finance our entire political system’ – H Clinton
“You want to vote for someone who understands, respects, & cherishes the democratic process”

♻ 💙💙 Hillary super PACs & Facts:
@American_Bridge AmericanBridgePAC.org
@CorrectRecord CorrectTheRecord2016.org, a branch of the super PAC @American_Bridge
@[Not yet] factivists.Democrats.org
@PrioritiesUSA PrioritiesUSAAction.org
@ReadyForHillary ReadyForHillary.com

⭕ 10 Apr 2014

💙💙 A witness in the IRS scandal belongs to “Groundswell” which coordinates strategy on GOP’s “scandals”: MotherJones: http://is.gd/AJmuZn

💙 Collusion? C Engelbrecht of TrueTheVote belongs to secret group that met w Boehner, Cruz to plan “scandals” http://is.gd/AJmuZn

💙 MotherJones (2013): Inside Groundswell: Memos of the Right-Wing Strategy Group Planning a “30 Front War” http://bit.ly/1gdb3Ppn
MotherJones (2013): Inside Groundswell: Memos of the Radical Right-Wing Strategy Group http://bit.ly/1gdb3Ppn IRS TrueTheVote Benghazi
TrueTheVote, investgtd by Cummings, is part of Groundswell, RW group working w GOP leaders 2 trump up “scandals” http://bit.ly/1gdb3Pp

💙 FoxNews & RW scandalmaniacs implying that Obama would not have been re-elected if people knew “truth” about Benghazi

TheHill: Issa: Cummings hid interactions w IRS http://bit.ly/1hkXv57
TheHill: “…nothing in the recently released documents from Issa that shows direct collaboration between Cummings & the IRS” http://bit.ly/1hkXv57
TheHill: Issa: Cummings hid interactions w IRS http://bit.ly/1hkXv57 “Cummings’s staff asked the IRS…for PUBLICLY AVAILABLE information”

💙 “[F]or all intents & purposes, the only thing required to operate as a 501(c)4 is to say that you‘re a 501(c)4.” http://bit.ly/1qkSVX3
// 5/13/2013 OutsideTheBeltway

💙 NOLO: “Section 501(c)(4) organizations are not required to get IRS approval of their tax-exempt status (remember, donations to them are never tax deductible). However, many seek IRS approval anyway.” http://bit.ly/1lMSeUs
NOLO: “Section 501(c)(4) organizations are not required to get IRS approval of their tax-exempt status” http://bit.ly/1lMSeUs

The 5th was designed to protect the innocent from kangaroo courts like this one
🐾
The 5th Amendment “protects against abuse of government authority” http://is.gd/nEcETe (Wikipedia) IRS “scandal” is perfect example
🐾
“A witness may have a reasonable fear of prosecution and yet be INNOCENT of any wrongdoing” (SCOTUS)
🐾
The 5th Amendment “serves to protect the INNOCENT who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances” (SCOTUS)
🐾
What in heaven’s name has Karl Rove’s GPS ever done for “social welfare”? Only in a world where corporations are people & 💰 is speech…
🐾
AmericanThinker: “The law allows…501(c)(4) organizations to self-declare and hold themselves out as tax-exempt” http://bit.ly/1oPNHFg
🐾
AmericanThinker: “The law allows…501(c)(4) organizations to self-declare & hold themselves out as tax-exempt” http://bit.ly/1oPNHFg
// 4/2/2014 “The IRS and the Tea Parties: Should You File That Form?”

OversightCommittee (4/9/2014): New IRS E-mails: Lerner Funneled Cummings Info on Targeted Conservative Group http://1.usa.gov/1hvuKDY

NRO: Issa Accuses Cummings of Colluding with the IRS http://bit.ly/1gaEmPh // ridiculouser & ridiculouser

💙 What in heaven’s name has Karl Rove’s GPS ever done for “social welfare”? I guess in a world where corps are people & $$ is speech…

▧💙 HouseOversightDems: Case from 1954 Shows Striking Similarities Between Darrell Issa and Joe McCarthy http://1.usa.gov/1hitgvE
⇈ ⇊
CongressResearchService: McCarthy Hearings: Subversion & Sabotage in Defense Establishments & Industry http://1.usa.gov/1sEzfPU
⇈ ⇊
Issa will hold Lerner in contempt after he “rejected her attorney’s request for a simple one-week delay while he was out of town” http://1.usa.gov/1k7nk9w
Issa “rejected [Lerner’s] attorney’s request for a simple one-week delay while he was out of town” http://1.usa.gov/1k7nk9w IRS contempt

💙 HuffPo, Michael McAuliff: Republicans Vote For Criminal Probe Of Lois Lerner Over IRS Targeting http://huff.to/R4TUi9
“Lerner was especially concerned about Crossroads GPS & the $70 million it was spending on politics at the time”
“no court has ever upheld an effort to hold someone in contempt for asserting the right against self-incrimination”
“Camp’s lengthy document doesn’t contain any assertion of White House involvement in Lerner’s actions”

▧ OversightCommittee (4/7/2014): Staff Report: Debunking the Myth that the IRS Targeted Progressives [pdf] http://1.usa.gov/1sEr7yT

NYT: GOP Seeks Investigation of Ex-#IRS Official http://nyti.ms/1mYOJwU ‘A lot of hype,”a very serious matter,’ or ‘bone-headed decision’?

⭕ 9 Apr 2014

◆ IRS: TARGETING LIBERAL GROUPS (2013 archive)

from 2013A File
💙 PoliticusUSA: IRS Investigation Reveals Darrell Issa’s ‘Enemies List’ http://bit.ly/1huIPkX
“Tea Party groups howled [for] being asked to prove they weren’t political… Progressive groups saw [it] as the IRS doing their job.” http://bit.ly/1huIPkX
“TP groups howled [for] being asked to prove they weren’t political… Progrsvs saw [it] as the IRS doing their job’ http://bit.ly/1huIPkX

💙💙 TPM (2013): IRS Delayed Action on Progressive Groups, Too http://bit.ly/1n6sTEV & even Religious! progressive groups: one such applic took 7 yrs

Volokh: IRS Chief Confirms Targeting of Tea Party Groups http://is.gd/WvDdZU less attention to liberal groups

💙💙 NPR: Liberal groups had to endure delays, produce extensive documentation, answer dozens of questions http://is.gd/rn9TjE 6 examples

💙💙 TheAtlantic: Proof the IRS Didn’t Target Just Conservatives http://bit.ly/PTEDzM 1/3 of targeted groups clearly not conservative (list)

Dkos: IRS Faux Scandal: Don’t Fall for the Republican Spin on the Targeting of Progressive Groups http://is.gd/GahB8X

from 2013B File
💙💙❗Lookee here: Darrell Issa personally! asked the IRS to “🎯” ACORN for review in Sep 2009 [pdf] http://is.gd/7XN1KZ 💥POW💥
❗Document [Sep 2009]: Darrell Issa personally! asked the IRS to “target” ACORN for review of 501(c)(4) status [pdf] http://is.gd/7XN1KZ
Sep 2009: Darrell Issa personally! asked IRS to “target” 🎯 ACORN for review of 501(c)(4) status [pdf] http://is.gd/7XN1KZ @JoeNBC
Darrell Issa personally! asked the IRS to “target” ACORN for review in Sep 2009 [pdf] http://is.gd/7XN1KZ

GOP projects Dems as doing what they do: so Issa accuses Obama of using IRS to target “enemies” as he (Issa) himself did w ACORN.

Dkos (Mar):❗James O’Keefe to pay $100,000 to ACORN employee❗ http://is.gd/LeWGlB IRS
⇈ ⇊
💙 Forbes (Mar):❗James O’Keefe Pays $100,000 To ACORN Employee He Smeared❗ http://is.gd/LeWGlB $100K IRS
⇈ ⇊
Wonkette (Mar): James O’Keefe To Pay $100,000 To ACORN “Criminal” http://is.gd/TUsjc8 snarkily written (may pose probs for irony-challenged)

PoliticsDaily (2010): ACORN: GAO Finds No Misuse of Fed Dollars http://is.gd/k56LSW 4th invstgtn to clear: links in 2nd to last ¶ IRS
💙💙 PolDaily (2010): ACORN: GAO Finds No Misuse of Fed Dollars http://is.gd/k56LSW FOURTH invstgtn to clear: links in 2nd to last paragraph IRS
≣ GAO Report on ACORN [pdf] http://is.gd/UV4FDW bureaucratic, indecipherable [see http://is.gd/k56LSW, http://is.gd/LeWGlB instead]
⇈ ⇊
💙💙 FoxNews (2010): ACORN Workers Cleared in NYC Pimp Video http://is.gd/TUc3zs & in California: UTSanDiego http://is.gd/efskRp
⇈ ⇊
#ACORN was destroyed by evil people, for which Andrew Breitbart is burning in hell, if Christianity is true

≣💙💙 HouseOversightDems, Cummings: New Documents Highlight IRS Scrutiny of Additional Progressive Groups http://1.usa.gov/OGVyEp prev redacted
≣💙💙 Ways&MeansDems, Levin: New Documents Highlight IRS Scrutiny of Additional Progressive Groups http://1.usa.gov/OGVyEp prev redacted
💙💙 ● In September 2009, TIGTA, at the request of OGR Chairman Issa, agreed to investigate whether ACORN or its affiliates engaged in potential political activities. 🐾
‘In Sep 2009, TIGTA [#IRS IG] — at request of 😹Oversight Chairman Issa😂 —agreed to investigate ACORN’ http://is.gd/L32BWA

💙 TreasuryDept, Werfel: New evidence showing IRS also targeted “ACORN,” “Emerge,” & “We the People” [pdf] http://1.usa.gov/1i3Hu3q
⇈ ⇊
Of 6 “We The People” groups that come up first on google: 1 RW, 3 LW, 1 Indep, 1 Libertarian. IRS targeted groups w this name.

Dkos: Issa (not) outraged by new evidence that IRS scrutinized additional Democratic groups http://is.gd/EUYR4E

MediaMatters: Fox News Ignores Latest Evidence That IRS Targeted LW Groups http://is.gd/cpjiwz Emerge, ACORN, We The People

NBC, Benen: A ‘nail in the coffin’ of the IRS ‘scandal’ http://is.gd/EnjJES “this would be a great time 4 at least SOME accountability”
💙 NBC, Benen: A ‘nail in the coffin’ of the IRS ‘scandal’ http://is.gd/EnjJES ‘but the press has moved on…’ Benghazi, anyone?

💙💙 MotherJones: Here’s the Latest Fizzle in the IRS “Scandal” http://is.gd/4QAyik new PowerPoints mix RW/LW grps; elephant AND donkey
#IRS Training Slides 7/28/2010 PROVING IRS also targeted LW groups http://is.gd/4QAyik pic.twitter.com/EMIu1TBI07

💙 PoliticusUSA: Irrefutable Proof that Darrell Issa Completely & Totally Lied About the IRS Scandal http://is.gd/g0n1dG names of LW grps redacted
PoliticusUSA: Irrefutable Proof that TIGTA Completely & Totally Lied About the IRS Scandal http://is.gd/g0n1dG names of LW grps redacted
PoliticusUSA: Proof that The Inspector General Lied About the IRS Scandal http://is.gd/g0n1dG names of LW grps were redacted

≣💙💙 Ways&Means (2013): Newly Unredacted IRS Documents Highlight IRS Scrutiny Of Progress Groups http://1.usa.gov/OGVyEp new cases eg ACORN

💙 WaPo: Rep Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to file lawsuit vs IRS over tax-exemption rules http://is.gd/kLyf9D w 3 watchdog groups | 501(c)(4)s
// Democracy 21, the Campaign Legal Center & Public Citizen; CREW

💙 OpenSecrets: Rep @ChrisVanHollen legally challenging IRS darkmoney tax-exempt rules http://wapo.st/1f2UFg2 Context: http://bit.ly/18Lc7Er
❌❌❌

◆ GROUNDSWELL

💙 USAPolitics: A “#Groundswell” of GOP propaganda from top politicians http://is.gd/p0NVxo @SpeakerBoehner, @DarrellIssa in secret mtgs

💙 “The Hapless & The Helpless”: Groundswell’s White Racial Panic http://is.gd/DNxWnR RW group concedes “Tea Party,” ” GOP” ≃ “racism”

💙 PoliticusUSA:‘#Groundswell’ Of GOP Distortion & Misinfo Puts Nation in Peril http://is.gd/HJKOJT ‘greatest threat since the Civil War’

💙Politico, Dylan Byers: Groundswell’s ‘journalists’ http://is.gd/UFPhd2 “It’s difficult to defend this as journalism” Benghazi IRS VRA

💙 BuzzFlash: Meet “#Groundswell”: Conservatives, Super-Conservatives, & These Guys http://is.gd/xqX6gP ultra-conservative meme machine

VFTH: Groundswell in Collusion w GOP Leadership in House on “Scandals” Against President Obama http://is.gd/Ofy5Id VRA Benghazi IRS

💙 Breitbart[.]com: NOTHING TO SEE HERE http://is.gd/NErdri round up the usual suspects Groundswell oh & Andrew approved (which settles it)

💙 MediaMatters: Groundswell, Ginni Thomas, & Continued Conflicts Of Interest For Justice Clarence Thomas http://is.gd/jQ6EIe

💙💙❗Crooks&Liars: ➤#Groundswell Group Stoked “Scandals” w Help From GOP Leaders http://is.gd/XucAjq behind PBO’s ‘worst week’ Benghazi
💙● Crooks&Liars: A Secret Tape Reveals How Groundswell plotted w Boehner & Issa on Benghazi IRS VRA etc http://is.gd/XucAjq
● Crooks&Liars: Secret Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq how Groundswell plotted ‘to sink US into mire of inaction & sabotage rest of PBO’s term’
💙💙 ● Crooks&Liars: Secret Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq Groundswell ‘had WILL & POWER to secure participation of Darrell Issa & John Boehner’
● C&L: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq mtg w Boehner & Issa came w “approval from the wife of a sitting Supreme Court justice”
● Crooks&Liars: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq interlocutors said they “kind of have a pledge from…Issa & the Speaker”
● C&L: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq “assured the group that they weren’t backing away from their demands” on Boehner & Issa
● C&L: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq “frmr Rep Allen West… very concerned about lack of a military response” in Benghazi
● Crooks&Liars: Secret Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq ahead of last Benghazi hearing, Groundswell informed Obama would be painted as ‘AWOL’
● Crooks&Liars: Secret Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq ahead of last Benghazi hearing, Groundswell informed that Hillary Clinton would be blamed
💙● Crooks&Liars: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq Cath Engelbrecht of TrueTheVote led mtg while claiming “charity” IRS status!
💙● Crooks&Liars: Secret Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq TrueTheVote, poster child of IRS “scandal,” was, all along, coordinating w Groundswell
● Crooks&Liars: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq “Hydra” is TrueTheVote’s code name for LW groups trying to reg voters VRA
💙● C&L: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq TrueTheVote “provided handouts at the meeting [on] their voter suppression efforts”
💙● C&L: Secret Groundswell Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq “the IRS had ample reason to believe [TrueTheVote was] a partisan, political group”!
● Crooks&Liars: Secret Tape http://is.gd/XucAjq Groundswell asked GOP members “what they’re looking for” for their debt ceiling votes
⇈ ⇊
● Scandalmania no accident! Planned & delivered by secret RW group w GOP leaders—& There are tapes! http://is.gd/XucAjq
⇈ ⇊
💙💙 MotherJones, David Corn: Groundswell: A Secret Tape Reveals How It Lobbied Boehner & Issa on Benghazi IRS http://is.gd/AJmuZn
⇈ ⇊
Dkos: Oh Snap – Crooks & Liars Finds Audiotape of ‘Groundswell’ Meetings http://is.gd/oigHtq yummy… I won’t get any sleep tonight
⇈ ⇊
≣💙 IN ADDITION to influential conservatives from major right-wing organizations, the group has included:

Grndswll
Member of Groundswell (plots “scandal” strategy w GOP leaders, RW media) http://is.gd/AJmuZn

Diana Banister, Shirley & Banister PR firm
Stephen Bannon, Breitbart News Exec Chair
Michael James Barton, National Review
Ken Blackwell, Family Research Council
John Bolton, Fox News
Dan Bongino, former Secret Service agent
Jerry Boykin, Family Research Council
Matthew Boyle, Breitbart reporter
Catherine Engelbrecht, TrueTheVote
Tom Fitton, Pres Judicial Watch
Mike Flynn, Breitbart reporter
Leonard Leo, Exec VP, Federalist Society
Anita MonCrief, TrueTheVote
Sue Myrick, former House GOPer
Max Pappas, aide to Sen Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Sandy Rios, Fox News
Lori Roman, former Exec Dir of ALEC
Austin Ruse, Fam & Human Rights Inst
Mark Tapscott, Wash Examiner Exec Editor
Ginni Thomas, Daily Caller, wife of J. Thomas
Gayle Trotter, Fellow Indep Women’s Forum
Allen West: yes, THAT Allen West

former GOP House member, now Fox News
❌❌❌

Dkos: Darrell Issa’s latest witness contempt tactic in IRS case veers into McCarthyism reports McAuliff http://bit.ly/1hiuQxM
↥ ↧
HuffPo, Michael McAuliff: Darrell Issa Tries Tactic In IRS Probe Last Used In McCarthyism http://huff.to/1k5OOMK

OversightDems: New Congress Research Service Report Finds No Historical Precedent For Issa Contempt Proceeding http://1.usa.gov/1hitgvE

Issa is holding Lois Lerner in contempt because she asked for a one-week delay because her lawyer would be out of town @TheRevAl

⭕ 8 Apr 2014

HuffPo (Mar): Darrell Issa Hearing Reveals IRS-Targeted Groups Prefer To Be Political http://huff.to/1jqB9Pi
// CREW: $290M GOP, $35M Dems 2012; TIGTA flagged 298 groups, 20 liberal, 1/3 conservative; offered 40%, “several dozen” accepted, 19 did not; Whitehouse DISCLOSE, Gerry Connolly anecdote

RollCall, Meredith McGehee (Mar): Intimidating the IRS & Protecting ‘Dark Money’ Groups http://bit.ly/1lNwdHu
// Policy Dir, Campaign Legal Center; “On Feb. 27, the CLC joined with Democracy 21 and Rep Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in submitting comments on the IRS proposal”

RawStory (Jun 2013): IRS conspiracies fall apart as BOLO list targeting ‘progressive’ groups revealed http://bit.ly/1e7sqlP

Oversight Committee Report (Mar): Lois Lerner & IRS Targeting http://1.usa.gov/1gHtdEO //➔ issues w @DarrellIssa’s timeline & assumptions…
● Nov 2010 BOLO lists include prog groups b4 Lerner decides to use them for “cover”
Issue 2. Sep 2010 “do a project next year”; not begun until Jun 2012
Issue 3. Lerner head of Exempt Unit: why couldn’t she initiate project on “exempt orgs”?
Issue 4. “Dangerous” assmt shows Lerner aware a group like Issa’s cld politicize it, not that Tea Party groups were
Issue 5. Issa may not like it, but problem is in the regs which IRS/Treas can change

// Nov 2010 BOLO list included “both progressive & tea party groups,” “’occupy,’ ‘progressive,’ and ‘Israel'”
// Per se political, do a project next year Sep 2010
// Subjected to “multi-tier process” early 2011
// “very dangerous” Feb 2011 – likely meant re: political & sensitive; to Chief Counsel
// >>> “Eventually…” decided to include progressive groups – no footnote, but follows ” : but Nov 2010 BOLO already included progressive groups
// Off-plan project mentioned/begun Jun 2012 (not “next year”)
// Behind effort to “crack down on” 501(c)(4s)
pp 4-5

NPR (Jun 2013): IRS Staffer: ‘What I Did Was Not Targeting’ http://n.pr/1lNm1yH

⭕ 1 Apr 2014

———- 28 Mar 2014

Dkos: Republicans angry at Issa for not exposing IRS ‘scandal’ http://bit.ly/1pCaXBR //➔ Chaffetz angling to replace Issa as Oversight chair?
↥ ↧
💙 Politico: Darrell Issa rankles some Republicans in handling IRS tea party probe http://politi.co/1plpPGw Lerner offered 2X to testify

———- 27 Mar 2014

NYT: House Oversight Leader Issa Accuses IRS Commissioner of Stonewalling Inquiry http://nyti.ms/1jxlJvS 250 employees 100,000 hours so far

———- 20 Mar 2014

Politico: Justice Department rejects Ted Cruz’s IRS probe request http://is.gd/LhAcqS

✘ WSJ, Jim Jordan: A Special Prosecutor for the IRS http://is.gd/lL898B

———- 19 Mar 2014

💙 HuffPo: This Chart Shows How Little We Really Know About Where Political Money Comes From http://is.gd/0aBwiT pic.twitter.com/HcPjp9yC1z
// line chart: huge increase in $$ from 501(c)(4)s since 2006

———- 14 Mar 2014

💙 OversightDems: Legal Experts on Issa’s Botched Contempt Move http://is.gd/6XfZDe “…procedural Javert-ism…” IRS @Lawrence
OversightDems: Legal Experts on Issa’s Botched Contempt Move IRS @Lawrence
OversightDems: Legal Experts: Issa Botched It IRS @Lawrence
“SCOTUS precedents that helped put an end to the McCarthy era…”
“…procedural Javert-ism…”
“expect it to be condemned by any federal judge…”
“…a kind of gotcha penalty…”
“could accomplish nothing but making the Committee look petty…”
“In his rush to judgment, Issa forgot to play by the rules.”
Legal Experts: Issa Botched It: “could have a chilling effect on the constitutional rights of witnesses in congressional proceedings”
“cannot be born from a game of gotcha.”

Definition:
“Corruption may be defined as ‘the abuse of entrusted power for private gain’” (U4 http://is.gd/D9OmZK)
“A government official, whether elected, appointed or hired, may violate federal law when he/she asks, demands, solicits, accepts, or agrees to receive anything of value in return for being influenced in the performance of their official duties” (Cornell http://is.gd/N5o00U)
“An act done with an intent to give some advantage inconsistent with official duty and the rights of others” (FreeDictionary http://is.gd/jrVtPn)
“Corruption in the legal context refers to a wrongful design to acquire or cause some pecuniary or other advantage” (http://is.gd/XKN0tk)

💙 Corruption, by law, must involve “pecuniary or other advantage.” By this definition, Lois Lerner was not “corrupt.” No quo, baby.

House Oversight Committee, Chair, Issa: Lois Lerner’s Involvement in IRS Targeting of Tax-Exempt Organizations [pdf] http://is.gd/pBjCbK

———- 13 Mar 2014

RollCall: Intimidating the IRS & Protecting ‘Dark Money’ Groups – Campaign Legal Center http://is.gd/yVh8hK

💙💙 Politico: Democrats: Darrell Issa botched rules in run-up to IRS contempt vote http://is.gd/1UvjvE

💙 USNews: The Oversight Circus http://is.gd/UbcmNL “Hearings on IRS abuse have devolved into partisan nonsense”
USNews: The Oversight Circus http://is.gd/UbcmNL
USNews: IRS Hearing:
‘conducted in a manner that supports Democrats’ contentions that the panel just interested in damaging Obama”
“Why should any group which promotes a political or ideological agenda, left or right, get tax-exempt status?”
“Now, Cummings is claiming Issa unwittingly blew his own case against Lerner”
“Instead of exposing the IRS for alleged partisan behavior, it has exposed the partisanship on the committee”
“has undermined the very concept of congressional oversight”

WaPo: Issa slams Lois Lerner in report on IRS targeting http://is.gd/8lrYkY ‘Lerner was trying to undermine Citizens United decision’

OversightDems: “Fatal” Procedural Error in Closing Down IRS Hearing Prematurely http://is.gd/9crud6 did not meet reqs for contempt

———- 9 Mar 2014

WaPo: An amazing number of people care about a single IRS rule change http://is.gd/Xd7qQh 143,615 comments, 94.37% negative
// 2/28/2014

———- 6 Mar 2014

Cummings said after mic cut that there was no evidence of crimes or of any links to the WH; having Kristol there is a trick @Morning_Joe

Issa wants to hold Lerner in contempt & prevent Fox viewers from hearing any exculpatory evidence IRS @Morning_Joe

💙💙 WaPo: An amazing map of the Koch brothers massive political network http://is.gd/oonZIB pic.twitter.com/SmwMbzUvA2

💙 Salon, Alex Pareene: Darrell Issa’s newest IRS scandal revelation: Darrell Issa is bad at investigating scandals http://is.gd/1Izg1b

Crooks&Liars: Darrell Issa Cuts Off Mic Of Rep Cummings Who Was Exposing IRS Hearing As Fraud http://is.gd/cMyxMa

💙 Politico: GOP: Emails show IRS staff obsessed with Citizens United http://is.gd/fn1yWP GOP obsessed with fact IRS was doing its job

———- 5 Mar 2014

FIFTH AMENDMENT

– the 5th was designed to protect the innocent from kangaroo courts like this one IRS

💙💙 – the 5th Amendment “protects against abuse of government authority” http://is.gd/nEcETe

💙💙– the 5th Amendment “serves to protect the INNOCENT who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances”

💙💙– “a witness may have a reasonable fear of prosecution and yet be INNOCENT of any wrongdoing”

http://is.gd/nEcETe (Wikipedia)
❌❌❌

The Last Word @TheLastWord
.@GerryConnolly: It’s been a shameful thing under the sham of an investigation. Lois Lerner is invoking her const’l right to plead the 5th.

Actually, it DID happen once before: To protect Rubio from a Cummings question, Issa cut him off one other time @Lawrence IRS

CREW’s challenge to IRS regs thrown out: could not demonstrate ‘damage’ [just our whole democracy!] @Lawrence

CREW’s challenge to IRS regs thrown out: could not demonstrate ‘damage’ [just our whole democracy!] @Lawrence

Sadly, @CREW’s lawsuit to get the IRS to abide by the law’s req that 501(c)(4)s b “exclusively” for social welfare was thrown out @Lawrence

#IRS is trying to rewrite regs to conform to law, to UPROAR from RW, while left talked about bridgegate @Lawrence

Dkos: Darrell Issa can’t stand the heat, so he gets out of the kitchen http://is.gd/Fsdgoy abruptly ends IRS hearing, cuts Cummings’ mike …

PoliticusUSA: After Getting Busted In a Huge Lie Fox News Is Shocked that Lois Lerner Won’t Testify http://is.gd/TvdSM2 IRS

“Shame, shame,” Democrats called out, as racist Issa ended IRS hearing, refusing to acknowledge Cummings, who went on w/o microphone.
↺ ↻
“Shame, shame,” Democrats called out, as Issa ended Oversight Committee meeting, refuses to acknowledge Cummings, who went on w/o microphone
↺ ↻
Cummings accuses Issa of “gross mismanagement” of IRS hearings after Issa cuts his microphone. Lerner pled 5th again.
↺ ↻
Wow: High drama at Oversight Committee as Issa refused to allow Cummings to ask ?, cut microphone. BUT you could still hear him… IRS

💙💙 HouseOversightComm: FACT SHEET [?!]: Lois Lerner & the Oversight Committee Investigation of the IRS Targeting Scandal http://is.gd/kydGSO

ABCNews (2hrs ago): Former IRS Official Lois Lerner to Show Up at Hearing; Will She Testify? http://is.gd/Y1ZrdZ Sched for 9:30ET

FoxNews, Jay Sekulow (atty for TParty groups): Four questions Lois Lerner must answer about IRS scandal http://is.gd/rgfnep //➔ lies a LOT

———- 4 Mar 2014

❗House Oversight Committee meeting March 5 at 9:30amET: IRS’s Lois Lerner no longer taking 5th, will testify http://is.gd/lqUE1a @cspan?

CREW: Decision in CREW v. Dept of Treasury http://is.gd/uSfZfX over IRS “exclusively” v “primarily”: “no standing”

———- 1 Mar 2014

➕ NYT, Nick Confessore: Big-Money Donors Demand Larger Say in Party Strategy http://is.gd/zrH5iL role of IRS non-profit groups; Koch
NYT: Big-Money Donors Demand Larger Say in Party Strategy http://is.gd/zrH5iL “’The Karl Rove thing is out… The Koch thing is in.’”
// 3/1/2014
———- 26 Feb 2014

🔥 WSJ, Bradley Smith: Timeline of Dem politicians’ actions re: IRS http://is.gd/EPltQ6 [no, this has nothing to do with a smoking gun]

💙💙 Msnbc: An expensive search for a fake scandal http://is.gd/kBPILN “The [#IRS] story was discredited months ago.”
Msnbc: An expensive search for a fake scandal http://is.gd/kBPILN ‘Based on the IRS’s review, the investigation has cost $14 million’
Msnbc: An expensive search for a fake scandal http://is.gd/kBPILN ‘255 IRS employees have spent 97,542 hrs responding to investigations’
// “As of this week, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen also concluded that 255 agency employees have logged almost 100,000 hours in accommodating congressional inquiries in this matter.”

💙 MotherJones: Citizens United Takes Another Swing at Campaign Finance Rules http://is.gd/urANba

💙 IRS Scandal was Over in August http://is.gd/g0n1dG but its Zombie version is sucking life out of the Exempt Unit http://is.gd/aC0UjQ
// PoliticusUSA (August 203), NYT, Edsall below

💙 PoliticusUSA: The Republican IRS Witch Hunt Cost Taxpayers $14 Million & Counting http://is.gd/jLw2G2
PoliticusUSA: IRS Witch Hunt: “Issa & the GOP spent $14M targeting Democrats so far, & they’ve come up with nothing” http://is.gd/jLw2G2

💙💙 House Oversight Com Hearing: “The Admin’s Proposed Restrictions on Political Speech: Doubling Down on IRS Targeting” 9:30amET Thurs

💙💙💙 NYT, Thomas Edsall: Why the IRS Scandal Won’t Go Away http://is.gd/aC0UjQ most “likely to benefit: Karl Rove & David & Charles Koch”
⇈ ⇊
● “The events have caused a lot of tax administration to grind to a halt”
● IRS “scandal”-mongering has stalled investigation of complaints vs Rove, Koch bros for abuses
● Rove’s “non-profit” Crossroads GPS has spent total of $253.6M” on GOP causes
● Koch bros’ “Center to Protect Patient Rights” has spent $232M since 2009”
● “the IRS must act on complaints within three years of the date an organization files”
● NYT: IRS: “attempts to determine the degree to which some 501(c)4 groups ‘played fast & loose w the tax law will soon be lost to history’
● “The clear impact of the [#IRS] investigations has been to throw a proverbial wooden shoe into the machinery, causing it to grind to a halt”
● NYT: Delayed complaint processing “provides some explanation for the persistence of [GOP] in pressing the scandal despite repeated setbacks”
● Embarrassing “failure, so far, to produce a smoking gun linking the scandal to the White ● House”
● NYT: “Democrats disclosed that organizations with the word ‘progressive’ in the name” were also flagged by the IRS http://is.gd/aC0UjQ
● ‘The small players will lose, including IRS staff & small Tea Party groups’
● “Karl Rove & Charles & David Koch are unlikely to see their tax-exempt political orgs reined in”
● The IRS “scandal” is all about tax evasion, servicing the big GOP donors & demeaning & demoralizing a group of devoted public servants.
// Kochs’ “Center for Responsive Politics, is the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a 501(c)4 that has spent $232 million since 2009, much of it funneled to conservative and pro-Republican groups, including 60-Plus, Americans for Job Security and the Club for Growth”

———- 25 Feb 2014

💙💙 Senator Angus King (I-ME) to IRS Commissioner: End the Dark Money Game in American Politics (letter) http://is.gd/SgwRVv excellent!

💙💙 Sunlight Foundation
RT @SunFoundation Is the House trying to intimidate the IRS as the agency considers limits on outside political spending? http://snlg.ht/1mDbebx

Citizens for Ethics RT @CREWcrew We’re glad NY Times agrees IRS rules need to change, but Melanie’s letter to the editor lays out what they got wrong: http://nyti.ms/Nulu5W

Sunlight Foundation @SunFoundation
Dear IRS: Don’t give up on rules for darkmoney groups. Sincerely, @SunFoundation: http://snlg.ht/1mFoWuq

———- 24 Feb 2014

🔥 WSJ: Liberals vs the IRS: Even the left doesn’t want the tax man regulating speech http://is.gd/YgdTeK

💙 Dkos: Republicans demand unbiased investigation into why their conspiracy theories are definitely right http://is.gd/417g02

———- 23 Feb 2014

💙 Moyers&Co, Joshua Holland: Dark Money Groups to Get Clarity From the IRS; Outrage Ensues http://is.gd/t3men7

💙 BrightLinesProj: IRS’s New Proposed Rulemaking is an Opportunity for Positive Change http://is.gd/x9dyzU @Maddow should’ve covered this
BrightLinesProj: IRS’s New Proposed Rulemaking is an Opportunity for Positive Change http://is.gd/x9dyzU
⇈ ⇊
💙 BrightLinesProj: On Proposed Guidance for Tax-Exempt Soc Welfare Orgs on Candidate-Related Political Activities http://is.gd/vYR0Sh
⇈ ⇊
BrightLinesProj (Dec): Our First Reaction to Proposed Regs from IRS/Treasury on Tax-Exempt Political Campaign Activity http://is.gd/Kp6Auc

💙 IndependentSector: RE: Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Orgs on Candidate-Related Political Activities http://is.gd/BCpcta

💙 NonprofitVOTE: Comments to IRS: Protect Our Nonpartisan Voice for Civic Engagement & Democracy http://is.gd/1OVWWR
⇈ ⇊
NonprofitVOTE’s Submission to the IRS on Proposed Rule Changes for Tax Exempt Social Welfare Organizations [pdf] http://is.gd/4E9UQE

💙 CPI: Next up: ‘Citizens United v IRS’? http://is.gd/AhlqoY promises to ‘pull out all the stops’ to fight proposed nonprofit regs

———- 21 Feb 2014

WaPo, Dana Milbank: From Obamacare to the IRS scandal, Republicans are ignoring the facts http://is.gd/K2420l

ProPublica: The Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Koch Bros’ Cash into Politics and Made Millions http://is.gd/XP3GyU

DemocracyForums: Wellspring’s Flow: Dark Money Outfit Helped Fuel Groups on Political Front Lines http://is.gd/YFyQhA

♨ BolderAdvocacy, Abby Levine, AFJ: Responding to The New York Times on IRS Rules http://is.gd/z9bYBp

💙 TheHill: Angus King to IRS: Stop ‘dark money’ in politics http://is.gd/vE0cqK Act thru Citizens For Ethics: http://is.gd/78KmwJ (@CREWcrew)

TheNation, John Nichols: The IRS Swings on Dark Money but Misses the Target http://is.gd/PwaQXA yep, miles to go b4 we sleep…
// “New IRS regulations for 501(c)(4) groups may damage the ability of everyday Americans to have an impact on the political process”

@PublicCitizen: Tell IRS to Stand Up to the Tea Party: Clarify Rules to Prevent💰Dark Money Groups💰from Abusing Nonprofit Status http://is.gd/mejoJr

≣ CenterForPublicIntegrity Report: Top US corporations funneled $173 million to political nonprofits http://is.gd/DaWqfX Had enough? tell the IRS:
🏃💙💙 CPI Report: Top US corps funneled $173M to political nonprofits http://is.gd/DaWqfX Had enough? tell the IRS: http://is.gd/wHVX7D [plain comment]
🏃💙💙 CPI Report: Top US corps funneled $173M to political nonprofits http://is.gd/DaWqfX Had enough? Tell the IRS: http://is.gd/BuTYRW [link to CommonCause]

💙💙 CitizensForEthics: TAKE ACTION: Tell the IRS to ❗Close the 💰Dark Money💰 Loophole❗http://is.gd/78KmwJ comment deadline 2/27 @CREWcrew

💙 TAKE ACTION: Tell the IRS it’s time to close the darkmoney loophole being exploited by phony “social welfare” grps http://bit.ly/1jcz6hh

💙 Citizens for Ethics
RT @CREWcrew The Koch Brothers & other “social welfare queens” are abusing the tax code. Tell IRS “enough’s enough.” http://bit.ly/1jcz6hh

♻ 💙💙 BACKGROUND Research

Insidiousness NOT

NewsMax (2013): WSJ: Emails Show IRS’ Lerner Targeted Tea Party Groups http://is.gd/T1vfyR “told her staff that a tea party issue is ‘very dangerous'”
⇈ ⇊ ⇈ ⇊
WSJ (9/11/2013): Lois Lerner’s Own Words: Emails undercut the official IRS story on political targeting http://is.gd/a0sqyv
↺ ↻
Slate, David Weigel (9/12/2013): Read Lois Lerner’s Emails and Decide Whether the IRS Scandal Is Back http://is.gd/mqr8tb
// “…what we’re sort of left with [is] a disagreement over whether the IRS should have been nosy about a surge of political groups asking for tax exemption, and whether that nosiness hit the right disproportionately”

[Draw&Strike (author now at Breitbart). (May 2013): How Media Progressives Shape the News http://is.gd/WKzSsM
// Full Title: How Media Progressives Like Those At The New York Times Go About Shaping The ‘Correct’ Perception People Should Have Of News Stories; on Initial IRS reporting]

ElectionLawBlog (5/11/2013): Lois Lerner’s Response to [Planted] Tea Party Question on May 10, 2013 http://is.gd/E6r8BU
// “line people,” not “rogue”: staff were using names, not activity (eg advocacy); instructed to stop; description of extra steps they took; influx of political applications 2010, 1500 ➔ 2012, 3400; sounds confessional & competent

“Rogue” Employees

HuffPo (5/15/2013): Steven Miller, Acting IRS Head, Claims Two ‘Rogue’ Employees Behind Tea Party Targeting: Report (UPDATE) http://is.gd/fxIOtn
// First use of “rogue”; cites use to link below:
⇈ ⇊
CNN (5/15/2013): Source: Two ‘rogue’ workers principally behind IRS targeting of conservatives http://is.gd/SbOGQ1
// Empty except Title, links to “Full Story”
⇈ ⇊
[Full Story] CNN (5/16/2013): ‘Angry’ Obama announces IRS leader’s ouster after conservatives targeted http://is.gd/zsicVk
// “‘Rogue’ employees [subtitle]
News of Miller’s resignation followed revelations that the IRS has identified two “rogue” employees in the agency’s Cincinnati office as being principally responsible for the “overly aggressive” handling of requests by conservative groups for tax-exempt status, a congressional source told CNN.
“Miller said the staffers have already been disciplined, according to another source familiar with Miller’s discussions with congressional investigators. The second source said Miller emphasized that the problem with IRS handling of tax-exempt status for tea party groups was NOT limited to these two employees.” [Emphases mine]
➔ // no other ref to “rogue”
[ Conclusion: “Rogue” appears to originate w “a congressional source”]

♻ 💙💙 PressGaggle, Jay Carney (5/10/2013): Transcript: Benghazi & IRS [when first breaking] http://is.gd/AL47dM

I spent most of the day tracking certain IRS memes: eg “rogue agents”: no one in gov ever claimed it: created by a “legislative aide” + CNN
❌❌❌

———- 20 Feb 2014

🏃 💙💙#IRS getting prefab comments from RW: http://blocktheirs.com/ — PLEASE fight💰”Dark Money”💰w @CommonCause: http://is.gd/BuTYRW

➕ 💙💙 Cspan (2/6/2014): House Oversight hearing on “#IRS Targeting of Conservative Groups” dramaqueens

♨ NatReview (Jun 2013): Five IRS Scandal Myths: “Rogue agents,” apolitical targeting, and a limited time frame? Not so fast http://is.gd/JLHDJU

💙 @JaySekulow Several unfounded assertions in your testimony. Hysteria ≠ truth. Be grateful MSM has tuned out. Embarrassing.
🐾
@JaySekulow Heck, I would have reported TrueTheVote to FBI Tipline if it had occurred to me. Voter suppression.
🐾
@JaySekulow It might be a good idea to get someone besides Catherine E to be face of IRS. IT’s obvious why FBI ATF wld be looking at TtV.
🐾
@JaySekulow The “exclusively”/”primarily” ?, & % time for political has come up repeatedly as issue since ’50s for exempts
🐾
@JaySekulow Would you please tell the Tea Party people this has nothing to do w freedom of speech. SCOTUS encouraged ID of donors
🐾
@JaySekulow Where in the email to (not from) Lois Lerner does it say anything about Tea Party or conservative groups?
🐾
@JaySekulow No one in the admin referred to “two rogue agents.” Check the original CNN reporting.
// 💙 for entire series

Breitbart[.]com: Tea Party Leader Filing Ethics Complaint Against Dem Rep http://is.gd/NqW2Hn “highly unusual” indeed! IRS
// C Engelbrecht testimony: “I also refuse to let a precedent be set that allows Members of Congress, particularly the Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to misrepresent this governing body in an effort to demonize and intimidate citizens. Three times, Representative Elijah Cummings sent letters to True the Vote, demanding much of the same information that the IRS had requested. Hours after sending letters, he would appear on cable news and publicly defame me and my organization. Such tactics are unacceptable. It is for these reasons that immediately after this hearing I am filing a formal complaint with the House Office of Congressional Ethics and asking for a full investigation.”

Ways&Means Emails on “high sensitivity” & “media attention” & “embarrassing” http://is.gd/DKDg0n

💙 GWPundit: Lois Lerner supposed “Smoking Gun” email http://is.gd/nuRtaK
she was recipient
she wasn’t even the only recipient,
No TeaParty mention… or conservatives either
it’s about the FEC; since it mentions it might affect 501(c)(4)s, it makes sense to pass it along
‘Since we discussed addressing them – 501(c)(4)s – “off plan”‘ – is this ALL?
// Done, in tweets to Sekolow

💙💙 CREW Files Comments Criticizing IRS’s Proposed Section 501(c)(4) Regulations http://is.gd/8Vuhmf focuses on the wrong issues //➔correct
// ““While the agency’s intentions may be good, the proposals are not. They both exclude activities that are clearly political and include activities that clearly are not. It is hard to understand how the IRS could think it makes sense to treat non-partisan voter registration activities as political, but exclude political sham issue ads run more than 60 days before an election.”

💙 Bloomberg: Big-Money Politics Groups Get Clarity From IRS They Hate http://is.gd/fdq81U designed to make criteria more objective
// “‘If I were sitting in the chair of a conservative political operative, I would be rubbing my palms together hoping that these (c)(4) rules would be adopted,’ said Greg Colvin, an attorney at Adler & Colvin in San Francisco who specializes in the political activity of nonprofit groups.”

———- 19 Feb 2014

🏃💙💙 USPIRG: Urge US House Committee to Oppose Legislation Stalling New IRS 501(c)(4) Regulations http://is.gd/hOMj89

I hate to ask people to retweet or sign petitions et, but this is so important. RW is flooding IRS w comments (please see my next tweet)…
⇈ ⇊
➔ 🏃💙💙 CommonCause: Tell the IRS:❗Rein in ‘dark money’❗Learn here: http://is.gd/BuTYRW Comment to IRS here: http://is.gd/wHVX7D
—–

WSJ (2013): IRS Documents Reveal Agency Flagged Groups for ‘Anti-Obama Rhetoric,’ Big Three Refuse to Report http://is.gd/Ddl69w duh!
↺ ↻
💙 The IRS is charged, by Law & Reg, to determine if an org is >49% political, yet RW screams “Free Speech!” when asked @ their politics dumb

———- 18 Feb 2014

WSJ (Nov): IRS Rules on Nonprofits’ Political Activity Get Mixed Reaction http://is.gd/KDyc7M but some campaign-finance lawyers welcome clarity

💙💙 NYT Editorial: Change the Rules on Secret Money http://is.gd/Ej1o5n “The best thing the IRS can do is to…proceed swiftly ahead”

💙 JDSupra: IRS Issues Proposed Regulations Regarding Section 501(c)(4) Organizations http://is.gd/Zxe4uy dispassionate ⇇ rare!

➕ 💙💙 SunlightFoundation: More conservative groups protest IRS political activity rule http://is.gd/88vFYW lists groups organizing comment deluge
SunlightFound: More conservative groups protest IRS political activity rule http://is.gd/88vFYW lists groups organizing comment deluge

This is fun //➔ Breitbart[.]com: Pat Caddell Says Establishment Republicans ‘Want the IRS to Go After’ the Tea Party http://is.gd/ArRfPt

WaPo, Ed Rogers (R): The IRS, the Democrats’ cat’s paw http://is.gd/BFFF6T “Maybe I’m a paranoid Republican …” // um, yes

TheHill: Vulnerable Dems want IRS to step up http://is.gd/mxPmZA & play a more aggressive role in regulating non-profit groups

💙 Bloomberg: Democrats Push for Limits on Nonprofit Election Spending http://is.gd/k8rteR vs GOP bill to stop IRS changes on nonprofits

Politico: IRS chief: Nonprofit comments being seriously reviewed – Koskinen http://is.gd/EoCvHX all 23,000+ of them

TeaParty[.]org: Caddell Bombshell: GOP Establishment Wants the IRS to Go After the Tea Party http://is.gd/YBnKLx //➔ paranoia/fracture?

———- 17 Feb 2014

WSJ: Obama’s IRS ‘Confusion’: New evidence undercuts White House claims about IRS motivation http://is.gd/7sj8PV //➔ no smidgen 4U!

💙Engelbrecht told Oversight Committee all TrueTheVote’s activities were “open”: this wasn’t [secret tape] http://is.gd/XucAjq @OversightDems
⇈ ⇊
Crooks&Liars (2013) Groundswell Group Stoked “Scandals” w Help From GOP Leaders http://is.gd/XucAjq TrueTheVote @OversightDems

➕ 💙💙 TheReformer: TrueTheVote persecuted by the government? http://is.gd/IPldPN rather than retaliation … a perfect storm”
I sometimes have to swim thru ?google pages of RW crap to find a good story on an issue MSM ignores, like this: http://is.gd/IPldPN
↺ ↻
ColorLines (2012): Rep Elijah Cummings Launches TrueTheVote Investigation http://is.gd/MuG8YO background to 2/6/2014 Oversight mtg
The “#TrueTheVote” movement focuses on minority districts http://is.gd/MuG8YO pic.twitter.com/v7izt63F6Y

———- 16 Feb 2014

💙💙 LeagueOfWomenVoters: League Urges US House Committee to Oppose Legislation Stalling New IRS 501(c)(4) Regs http://is.gd/hOMj89
LeagueOfWomenVoters
USPIRG: Urge US House Committee to Oppose Legislation Stalling New IRS 501(c)(4) Regulations http://is.gd/hOMj89
⇈ ⇊
💙💙 LWV: Our organizations include:
Americans for Campaign Reform AmericansforCampaignReform
Brennan Center for Justice BrennanCenterforJustice
Campaign Legal Center CampaignLegalCenter
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Common Cause CommonCause
Democracy 21 Democracy21
Demos
League of Women Voters @LWV
Public Citizen PublicCitizen
The Sunlight Foundation SunlightFoundation
US PIRG USPIRG
TWEET BELOW sent to above organizations: (See Activism)
CommonCause: Tell the IRS:❗Rein in ‘dark money’❗Learn here: http://is.gd/BuTYRW Comment to IRS here: http://is.gd/wHVX7D
Search: IRS dark money non-profit action comment

💙💙 NatJournal, Oliphant: Remember the IRS Tea-Party Scandal? Get Ready for Round Two http://is.gd/vKMxJy WH hasn’t weighed in, & might not

———- 13 Feb 2014

💙💙💙 Ways&Means, Ranking Member Sander Levin: Opening Statement at Mark-up of HR 3865 http://is.gd/u9Jw9O [text, video] IRS “scandal” FAIL
// 2/13/2014
● Ways&Means Sander Levin on IRS http://is.gd/u9Jw9O
● ‘tireless effort by GOP to find political scandal as they look toward the election’
● “More than 500,000 pages of IRS documents have been turned over”
● “more than 150 IRS employees have worked 70,000 hours”
● “there’s been absolutely no evidence of any corruption unearthed”
● “Not a single piece [“smidgen”] of evidence showing any political motivation”
● “the IG failed to disclose that progressive & other liberal groups were singled out”
● ‘New regs are designed to determine whether an org’s primary activities are political’
● ‘The proposed regs are a start to bringing clarity to the confusing rules governing 501(c)(4)s’
● ‘The proposed regs are a start to bringing much-needed disclosure by orgs spending heavily [on] elections’
● “Applications for 501(c)(4) status nearly doubled between 2010 and 2012 – to 3,357”
●’The designation 501(c)(4) allows organizations to keep their donors secret’
● Spending on 501(c)(4)s in 2006 $1M; 2010 $92M; 2012 $250M (Center for Responsive Politics)
// “Spending during the 2012 election by 501(c)(4)s soared to more than $250 million, from $92 million in 2010 and just $1 million in 2006, according to the Center for Responsive Politics”
‘unfortunately, the proposed regs are being used by the GOP to again turn the issue into a scandal’
●b”what really remains hidden are donors to groups pouring millions of dollars into campaign advertising”
● ‘The IG for Treasury called for clarification of ‘political activities’ by 501(c)(4)s in the Priority Guidance Plan in August 2013′
● “Republicans have now turned to the proposed regulations to renew their attack”
● “this Committee [is] seeking to unearth scandal in the IRS where none exists”
// “This Committee has started the new year where it left off – showing painfully little interest in legislating – and instead keeping its politically based dual focus squarely on seeking to unearth scandal in the IRS where none exists and undermining the Affordable Care Act.”

💙 PoliticusUSA: Darrell Issa’s Witchhunt Caused 150 IRS Employees to Work 70,000 Hours http://is.gd/CkvwKZ Levin’s statement

🏃💙💙 CommonCause
MT @CommonCause Tell the IRS to stop letting political front groups pose as nonprofits to hide their donors http://is.gd/MqB85h
// http://cmnca.us/ReinInDarkMoney

💙 NYT: Left & Right Object to IRS Plan to Restrict Nonprofits’ Political Activity http://is.gd/y38jvQ [most objections are from the right]

———- 12 Feb 2014

💙 WaPo: IRS plan to curb politically active groups threatened by opposition from both sides http://is.gd/se5UZ3 //-➤ mostly from the right

💙💙 PublicCitizen: Opposition Grows to Bill Delaying IRS Rulemaking on Nonprofits http://is.gd/2fDbFQ ‘must move to clearly define political activity’
PublicCitizen: Oppostn Grows to Bill Delaying IRS Rulemaking on Nonprofits http://is.gd/2fDbFQ ‘must move to clarify political activity’
PublicCitizen: Oppos Grows to Bill Delaying IRS Rulemaking on Nonprofits http://is.gd/2fDbFQ ‘must clearly define political activity’

———- 11 Feb 2014

💙 MotherJones: Congressional GOPers Try to Stymie IRS Regulation of Dark Money http://is.gd/MnQXZy weigh in here: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

———- 10 Feb 2014

WaPo: Unions, trade assns worried about possible IRS rule changes http://is.gd/aCGnL2 will they next after “social welfare” group changes?

FireDogLake (May): Tea Party ties to Koch Brothers ignored in IRS Scandal http://is.gd/m2eAYa list w affiliation AfP

≣💙💙 PRWatch (12/9/2013): Bright Lines Project Reacts to Proposed IRS Political Nonprofit Rules http://is.gd/uySAPz

💙💙 OpenSecrets: IRS Issues Proposed Rules to Curtail Political Nonprofits http://is.gd/YGxGJg ‘cld sharply cut back on political activity’

🏃 Progressives:❗Please comment❗on proposed IRS regs to stop dark💰outfits masquerading as non-profits: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK @NowWithAlex

🏃 SunlightFndtn: Conservative nonprofits are flooding the IRS w objections to proposal to more tightly regulate them http://is.gd/88vFYW

🏃 WaPo: Two Dems call for investigation of IRS watchdog who led targeting probe http://is.gd/7tHYsV Treas Inspector Gen J Russell George

🏃 ❗Progressives❗The IRS is proposing to stop dark💰outfits masquerading as non-profits. You can weigh in here: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK pls RT…

🏃 THE RW is out in force to keep dark💰hiding in non-profit “social welfare” orgs: we must weigh in. You can here: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

♻🏃💙💙 Progressives:❗Please comment❗on proposed IRS regs to fix loophole letting dark💰outfits masquerade as non-profits: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

♻🏃💙💙 PublicCitizen Petition: Tell the IRS: Don’t let dark $$$ outfits masquerade as nonprofits http://pubc.it/iRStPy Please sign petition.

———- 9 Feb 2014

💙💙 Wow, ODS run amuck: AEI thinks the IRS “scandal” prevented Romney from winning the 2012 election! http://is.gd/KkzSmA 😂
// June 2013; but study is mentioned in “Superlawyer’s bio”
⇈ ⇊
AEI: Yes, IRS harassment blunted the Tea Party ground game http://is.gd/KkzSmA
// Jay Sokulow, ACLJ

💙💙 Wonkette: Just Because ‘#TrueTheVote’ People Are Paranoid Doesn’t Mean IRS, FBI & ATF Aren’t Out To Get Them http://is.gd/q0DAI6

MediaMatters (2013): On Election Night Fox Turned To TrueTheVote To Stoke Obamacare Fears http://is.gd/cJdTdz

💙 Msnbc, @Maddow Show: Telling the Truth @ TrueTheVote http://is.gd/QzPzof /➔/voter suppression group says it’s “social welfare”
Msnbc, @Maddow Show: Telling the Truth @ TrueTheVote http://is.gd/QzPzof /➔/voter suppression group says it’s “social welfare”

💙 PRWatch (2013): TrueTheVote, the Victim? Voter Vigilante Group Says IRS Targeted It http://is.gd/HM8Tut cspanchat

💙💙 Politico: IRS tea party hearing veers into voting rights debate http://is.gd/nLrHvb TrueTheVote leader Englebrecht attacks Rep Cummings

♻🏃💙💙 Progressives:❗Please comment❗on proposed IRS regs to fix loophole letting dark💰outfits masquerade as non-profits: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

♻🏃💙💙 Public Citizen Petition: Tell the IRS: Don’t let dark $$$ outfits masquerade as nonprofits http://pubc.it/iRStPy Please sign petition.

💙 NYT (Jan): Charges Seen Unlikely in Scrutiny of Tea Party by IRS http://is.gd/1Q3fjS no crimes, cuz one investigator was a *gasp!* – Democrat

AEI: Yes, IRS harassment blunted the Tea Party ground game http://is.gd/KkzSmA
// Jay Sokulow, ACLJ

💙 BrennanCenter: In Support of…the IRS http://is.gd/cTWHCy would close loophole allowing political groups to claim “social welfare” status

💙💙 @RightCandidates Catherine Engelbrecht who runs TrueTheVote, an anti-Dem voter suppression group, is perfect poster girl for IRS “scandal”

Forbes (2013): The Timeline of IRS Targeting Of Conservative Groups http://is.gd/hxIi3o

WSJ Editorial: Obama’s IRS ‘Confusion’ http://is.gd/fDmVNu “New evidence undercuts White House claims about IRS motivation”

———- 7 Feb 2014

💙💙 MotherJones: Congressional GOPers Try to Stymie IRS Regulation of Dark Money http://is.gd/MnQXZy GOP in hissy fit mode: http://is.gd/M2q5wR
MotherJones: GOPers Try to Stymie IRS Regulation of Dark Money http://is.gd/MnQXZy GOP in full hissy fit mode: http://is.gd/M2q5wR

———- 4 Feb 2014

💙💙 UPI: IRS accepting comments on new rules for non-profit “social welfare” groups http://is.gd/dxKjZV Comment: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

PhilanthropyNews: Proposed IRS Rules would Limit Political Activity by Social Welfare Orgs http://is.gd/unBl4j but divided parties

———- 2 Feb 2014

💙💙 Enforce the IRS’ 501(c)(4) law and revoke tax exemption from primarily political entities. http://petitions.moveon.org/s/Rj8nEq @moveon

=========

NatlJournal (2013): Watchdog: Koch-Backed Group Bending Tax Code http://is.gd/M4Sv6E CREW wants IRS to investigate Freedom Partners
NatlJournal:#Koch-Backed Freedom Partners Bending Tax Code? http://is.gd/M4Sv6E gave $235M in tax deductible grants as a 501(c)(6) IRS
// in 2013

———- 1 Feb 2014

💙 AssociationsNow: Rep Dave Camp Introduces Bill to Block IRS 501(c)(4) Rules: http://is.gd/JHb1k9 & keep as a political whipping boy
// My comment: “Reid will not introduce in Senate. Conservatives got the last thing they wanted: a solution to a problem that will force political organizations to disclose donors by getting them out of the “social welfare” category & into 527s where they belong.,

➕💙💙 NonprofitQuarterly (May): Senate Finance Committee & 501(c)(4) Morass http://is.gd/2XhtbP excellent analysis of IRS political nonprofits
// summary of SFC meeting 5/21/2013

💙💙 AccountingToday (Nov): Treasury & IRS Issue Guidance for 501(c)(4) Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations http://is.gd/zsBena
// 11/26/2013 (wrong date on article)

💙💙 ForeignAffairs, George Packer (2011): The Broken Contract: Inequality and American Decline http://is.gd/Q5Iizf

💙💙 CREW (Jan): The Dark Money Debate: Responses to Arguments Against Reforming IRS Treatment of 501(c) Groups [pdf] http://is.gd/bTud2Z

💙 PBS (Nov): IRS & Treasury issue political spending guidance http://is.gd/A8OEp8 ‘to clarify some uncertainties that fueled controversy’
// 11/26/2013

ThinkProgress (Nov): Treasury & IRS To Crack Down On Super PACs Masquerading As Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Groups http://is.gd/HbxUnx
// 11/26/2013

≣ ♻ 💙💙 FederalRegister (11/29/2013): Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations on Candidate-Related Political Activities [pdf] http://is.gd/o0D0tD
FedRegister (11/29/2013): Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Orgs on Candidate-Related Political Activities [pdf] http://is.gd/o0D0tD

@Reince the IRS also targeted liberal groups using terms like “progressive,” “occupy” & “green”: it’s their job

💙 Ways&Means: Sen Sander Levin (D-MI) Statement on Proposed Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations http://is.gd/2eQzb4 IRS
// 11/26/2013 “After dozens of interviews and the review of hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, there is absolutely no evidence of any political motivation or outside involvement, contrary to what Republicans have alleged from the beginning.”

♻ ≣💙 Treasury, IRS To Propose Guidance for Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations 501(c)(4)s [pdf] http://is.gd/ihDjms 11/26/2013

≣ 💙💙 NonprofitVOTE (1/2/2014): NonprofitVOTE Responds to IRS Proposal to Limit Political Activities of 501(c)(4)s http://is.gd/Mf4QGc

≣ 💙Treasury[.]gov (11/28/2013): Treasury, IRS Will Issue Proposed Guidance For Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations http://is.gd/M3RAPL

💙💙 NYT, Nicholas Confessor (Nov): New Rules Would Rein In Nonprofits’ Political Role http://is.gd/aZaZQx

SunlightFoundation: Conservatives protest IRS proposal to define political activity http://is.gd/7b28Tj several orchestrated campaigns

≣💙💙 PRWatch (12/9/2013): Bright Lines Project Reacts to Proposed IRS Political Nonprofit Rules http://is.gd/uySAPz

💙💙 OpenSecrets: IRS Issues Proposed Rules to Curtail Political Nonprofits http://is.gd/YGxGJg ‘cld sharply cut back on political activity’
// Nov 26, 2013

Chuck Schumer has a plan for Dems (prev tweets). But what’s really powerful is the broad canvas of prog principles he lays out. mustread
⇈ ⇊
≣☒ 💙💙 AATTP: Sen Chuck Schumer Has a Plan for Destroying the Tea Party, and it’s BRILLIANT http://is.gd/U2NGZw to CAP 1/23
⇈ ⇊
CAP: Remarks by Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY) “The Rise of the Tea Party & How Progressives Can Fight Back” http://is.gd/hKvNSM
⇈ ⇊
≣💙💙 Sen Charles Schumer: The Rise & Potential Fall of the Tea Party [text] Center for American Progress Jan 23, 2014 http://is.gd/uuFriG
⇈ ⇊
//. Subtitle: “The Fundamental Flaw in the Tea Party’s Premise & What Democrats Can Do To Exploit It,” delivered to the Center for American Progress

💙 Bloomberg: Ways & Means Chair Dave Camp Challenges Proposed IRS Rules Changes for Nonprofits http://is.gd/1QFOYK

———- 31 Jan 2014

💙 13 Million @13millionplus
@Auriandra Something new on it?
🐾
@13millionplus the IRS is trying to change its regs on non-profits to keep out political orgs; RW sees this as a direct attack on them
🐾
@13millionplus RW is flooding the comments on proposed IRS changes to def of 501(c)(4)s; progressives don’t even know about it…
🐾
@13millionplus comments on proposed changes to IRS def of 501(c)(4)s can be left here: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK doesn’t need to be lawyerly
🐾
@13millionplus here is my blog posting at dkos on commenting on IRS proposed changes to definition on non-profits: http://is.gd/CgpoTn

Politico: Ted Cruz, Eric Holder mix it up at hearing http://is.gd/BSbai5 over why no one in the IRS has been inducted

Sad I have to go to RW for coverage of imp development re IRS: O’Reilly http://is.gd/MhEZeE CNS http://is.gd/OZJHy3 @msnbc

➤ Press is so bifurcated that a flare-up of IRS scandal in RW press in response to Schumer speech at CAP is ignored: http://is.gd/Pxe3Fy

➤ Important as the bridgegate scandal is!, the IRS “scandal” is rearing its ugly head. @msnbc should cover it @chrislhayes @maddow @Lawrence

💙 Forbes, Thomas Basile: Obama’s Weaponization of Government http://is.gd/ZyjOOb ‘There are things the IRS can do’ – Schumer

♻ 💙💙 Dkos: PLEASE Comment on the Proposed New Rules for IRS “Social Welfare” Orgs http://is.gd/CgpoTn weigh in here: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK
Dkos: PLEASE Comment on Proposed New Rules for IRS “Social Welfare” Orgs: http://is.gd/CgpoTn comment: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK @TheRevAl

💙 Politico: IRS tea party showdown http://is.gd/xQ5jhK

💙 CNSNews: Schumer Suggests ‘Electoral Reform’ As Way to ‘Lessen the Grip of the Tea Party’ http://is.gd/OZJHy3 IRS
As no LW news is covering this, here’s CNSNews: Schumer Suggests Ways to ‘Lessen the Grip of the Tea Party’ http://is.gd/OZJHy3 IRS
// Schumer’s speech to CAP: extensive quotes

ACLJ: The Left Demands the IRS “Redouble” Targeting Tea Party and Conservative Groups http://is.gd/YNRAkP

💙 TheHill: McConnell: Obama ‘declaring a war’ on free speech with IRS move http://is.gd/mpRrrR over proposed IRS nonprofit changes

☒ 💙💙 CAP: Remarks by Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY): The Rise of the Tea Party & how Progressives can Fight Back http://is.gd/hKvNSM IRS
CAP: Remarks by Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY): Rise of the Tea Party & how Progressives can Fight Back w IRS http://is.gd/hKvNSM

≣☒ 💙💙 FoxNews: Senator Schumer vs the Tea Party [O’Reilly Show transcript 1/29] http://is.gd/MhEZeE calls for tightening IRS non-profit rules
// [text]

≣ 💙 Senate Dems Urge IRS to Set Firm Rules on Political Spending by Non-Profits (2012) http://is.gd/O5VedQ wld clarifyi defs for 501(c)(4)s

💙 Investors[.]com: Chuck Schumer Calls For The IRS To Stop The Tea Party http://is.gd/Pxe3Fy by clarifying rules for 501(c)(4)s — yes!

♻ ≣ 💙💙To comment on Proposed Rule tightening IRS’definition of “social welfare” organizations 501(c)(4)s: http://is.gd/ZQ8pIK

⭕ 30 Jan 2014

💙💙 Politico: Harry Reid slams Koch brothers: http://is.gd/4xVQOP Koch brothers fire back at Harry Reid: http://is.gd/UCMtJC

💙 Salon: Harry Reid rips the Koch brothers for trying to “buy the country” http://is.gd/Y0AJuS when McConnell objects to IRS changes
↻ ↺
💙 WaPo: Koch-backed political coalition, designed to shield donors, raised $400 million in 2012 http://is.gd/ckkwm2 hiding behind IRS 501(c)(4)s
// w awesome graphic

💙 Politico: Harry Reid slams Koch brothers http://is.gd/dx6q1i for trying to “buy the country” after McConnell’s objection to proposed IRS reforms
Politico: Reid slams Koch bros http://is.gd/dx6q1i for trying to “buy the country” after McConnell’s objection to proposed IRS reforms