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Ask and You Shall Receive: Did DCCC Letter To Lois Lerner Spur Targeting Of Conservative Group?

June 3, 2013

  • New information has surfaced showing a link between the IRS improperly targeting conservative groups and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

  • In April 2008, the DCCC sent a letter to Lois Lerner, the now-infamous head of the IRS’s tax-exempt organizations division asking them to look into Freedom’s Watch, a conservative organization.

  • Then, according to a recent report, the very same month the IRS began targeting conservative groups, it started an audit into Freedom’s Watch. It later blossomed to investigating several of the organization’s donors.

  • These “highly unusual” efforts raise serious questions as to what role the DCCC played in these investigations.

  • It’s time that both DCCC and IRS officials detail their roles in this affair. The American people deserve to know that the IRS isn’t taking marching orders from national Democrats.

ask and you shall receiver

 

In April 2008, The DCCC Sent A Letter To Lois Lerner Asking The IRS To Investigate Freedom’s Watch, A Conservative Organization. “The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), after filing two formal complaints over ads attacking the Democratic candidate in a Louisiana House race, now wants the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the conservative advocacy group behind the spots.” (Walter Alarkon, “DCCC Wants IRS Probe Into Freedom’s Watch,” The Hill, 4/29/08)

The IRS Began Auditing Freedom’s Watch In February 2010—The Very Same Month It Started Targeting Conservative Groups. “In February 2010, the same month the tea-party targeting started, according to a recent inspector general’s report, Freedom’s Watch was subjected to an IRS audit that focused largely on its political activities, an uncommon but not unprecedented action, election lawyers say.” (John D. McKinnon and Dionne Searcy,” “Donors to GOP Group Drew IRS Scrutiny,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/31/13)

Later, The IRS Began Targeting Donors To The Group. “At the same time the Internal Revenue Service was targeting tea-party groups, the tax agency took the unusual step of trying to impose gift taxes on donors to a prominent conservative advocacy group formed in 2007 to build support for President George W. Bush’s Iraq troop surge.” (John D. McKinnon and Dionne Searcy,” “Donors to GOP Group Drew IRS Scrutiny,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/31/13)

  • Election Lawyers Have Called The IRS’s Actions Both “Uncommon” And “Highly Unusual.” “Freedom’s Watch was subjected to an IRS audit that focused largely on its political activities, an uncommon but not unprecedented action, election lawyers say….About a year later, as many as five donors to Freedom’s Watch were subjected to IRS audits of their contributions that sought to impose gift taxes on their donations to the group, according to lawyers and former officials of Freedom’s Watch. Tax experts say that effort was highly unusual.” (John D. McKinnon and Dionne Searcy,” “Donors to GOP Group Drew IRS Scrutiny,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/31/13)
  • The Head Of Election Law At Covington & Burling Compared The Actions To “A Nuclear Bomb Going Off.” “The IRS action ‘was kind of like a nuclear bomb going off,’ said Rob Kelner, who heads the election-law practice at Covington & Burling LLP.” (John D. McKinnon and Dionne Searcy,” “Donors to GOP Group Drew IRS Scrutiny,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/31/13)