As recently reported by Sam Stein, and debated by Joe Scarborough, the IRS Officials in Cleveland had more than just "Patriots" and "Tea Party" in their pre-set filters screens. It would seem that "Progressive" groups (and others) were also being treating to the "equal" Tax Exempt scrutiny, by the IRS. You see, that's kind of their Job.
So much for the GOP's "unfairly targeted" claims ...
[...]
The Associated Press has obtained an internal IRS document that reveals the other terms the agency screened for when deciding which groups should be granted tax exempt status. The news cuts against the original storyline that the tactic was used to target conservatives.
An internal IRS document obtained by The Associated Press said that besides ‘‘tea party,’’ lists used by screeners to pick groups for close examination also included the terms ‘‘Israel,’’ ‘‘Progressive’’ and ‘‘Occupy.’’ The document said an investigation into why specific terms were included was still underway.
[...]
The revelation complicates accusations that IRS officials screened groups in a concerted effort to sideline tea party organizations during the 2012 election. Instead, it would suggest that the filters were applied to ensure that applications for similar groups were reviewed in a consistent manner.
Danny Werfel, IRS Chief, Says Inappropriate Screening Was Used More Broadly Than Disclosed
by Sam Stein, huffingtonpost.com -- 06/24/2013
Despite the evidence showing that this is just another GOP non-troversy -- Joe Scarborough was having none of it. You see Morning Joe has been reading the "News" (and watching a bit of Fox too it would seem, given his talking points.)
[...] Scarborough emphatically disagreed. In terms of “pure numbers,” Scarborough asserted that conservatives were still disproportionately targeted -- but Stein and Brzezinski questioned how Scarborough could definitively know that was the case.
“What do you mean do I know that?” he countered. “I’ve been reading articles saying that for two months now. Are all those articles wrong? Is The New York Times wrong?”
Stein argued that those stories were based on the half the information and the additional lists show that progressive and Occupy-related groups, too, were scrutinized. They were “listed just as frequently.”
Scarborough Spars With Sam Stein Over IRS Targeting ‘Progressive’ Groups:
Doesn’t Take ‘Legs Off’ Scandal
by Meenal Vamburkar, mediaite.com -- June 25, 2013
Too bad Morning Joe never bother to read the original "Inspector General’s Report" on the IRS methods to keep up with the rush of applications, maybe then he would not have looked so scandal-desperate this morning, Joe ...
Funny thing is Joe -- it's true. "Tea Party" 501(c)(4) claimants were NOT the only ones challenged. They accounted for around a 1/3 of the Political cases examined. Fully 2/3 of the IRS challenges had "other" beliefs and affiliations.
Since you "like to read" so much Joe, here you go, have at it:
Inspector General’s Report on I.R.S. Audits
May 14, 2013, NYTimes.com -- on line document or pdf
pg 5
While the criteria used by the Determinations Unit specified particular organization names, the team of specialists was also processing applications from groups with names other than those identified in the criteria. The inappropriate and changing criteria may have led to inconsistent treatment of organizations applying for tax-exempt status. For example, we identified some organizations’ applications with evidence of significant political campaign intervention that were not forwarded to the team of specialists for processing but should have been. We also identified applications that were forwarded to the team of specialists but did not have indications of significant political campaign intervention. All applications that were forwarded to the team of specialists experienced substantial delays in processing.
pg 6
Soon thereafter, according to the IRS, a Determinations Unit specialist was asked to search for applications with Tea Party, Patriots, or 9/12 in the organization’s name as well as other “political-sounding” names. EO [Exempt Organizations] function officials stated that, in May 2010, the Determinations Unit began developing a spreadsheet that would become known as the “Be On the Look Out” listing (hereafter referred to as the BOLO listing),[15] which included the emerging issue of Tea Party applications.
pg 8
Figure 4 shows that approximately one-third of the applications identified for processing by the team of specialists included Tea Party, Patriots, or 9/12 in their names, while the remainder did not. According to the Director, Rulings and Agreements, the fact that the team of specialists worked applications that did not involve the Tea Party, Patriots, or 9/12 groups demonstrated that the IRS was not politically biased in its identification of applications for processing by the team of specialists.
Figure 4: Breakdown of Potential Political Cases by Organization Name
larger image
pg 16
As of May 31, 2012,[39] 32 (36 percent) of 89 I.R.C. § 501(c)(3) potential political cases were open more than 270 calendar days, and the organizations had responded timely to all requests for additional information, as required. As of the end of our fieldwork, none of these organizations had sued the IRS, even though they had the legal right. In another 38 open cases, organizations were timely in their responses to additional information requests, but the 270-calendar-day threshold had not been reached as of May 31, 2012. These 38 organizations may have the right to sue the IRS in the future if determinations are not made within the 270-calendar-day period.
Two-thirds of IRS 501(c)(4) Challenges were Other than Tea-related
by jamess -- May 29, 2013
Tax-Free status should not be handed out Scott-Free like lollipops. If it were then everyone would want one, even those who engineering interests and goals lean a bit more towards the "political" rather than "social" ends of the Tax-Exempt spectrum.
The IRS has the right, the responsibility, and indeed the obligation to verify such claims of a "No Tax" privilege. The Constitution instructs them to collect Tax Revenue -- it is the Congress' responsibility to "give it away" -- not the IRS's.
Sorry Joe, Conservatives too need to do their civic duty and pay their taxes. Just like everyone else in that pie chart. It's what makes America go. Someone has to keep the Congressional 'candy shelves' stocked.