A series of IRS documents, provided to ThinkProgress under the Freedom of Information Act, appears to contradict the claims by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that only Tea Party organizations applying for tax-exempt status “received systematic scrutiny because of their political beliefs.” The 22 “Be On the Look Out” keywords lists, distributed to staff reviewing applications between August 12, 2010 and April 19, 2013, included more explicit references to progressive groups, ACORN successors, and medical marijuana organizations than to Tea Party entities.
The IRS provided the heavily-redacted lists to ThinkProgress, after nearly a year-long search. From the earliest lists through 2012, the “historical” section of the lists encouraged reviewers to watch out for “progressive” groups with names like “blue,” as their requests for 501(c)(3) charitable status might be inappropriate. Their inclusion in this section suggests that the concern predates the initial 2010 list.
Explicit references to “Tea Party,” included in the “emerging issues” section of the lists, also began in August 2010 — but stopped appearing after the May 10, 2011 list. From that point on, the lists instructed agents to flag all political advocacy groups of any stripe. The documents instructed the agents to forward any “organization involved with political, lobbying, or advocacy” applying for 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status be forwarded to “group 7822″ for additional review. Groups under both categories are limited in the amount of of lobbying and political activity each can undertake.
Other types of groups received explicit scrutiny for longer than “progressive” or “Tea Party” organizations. These included applicants involved with “medical marijuana” but not “exclusively education” (19 appearances in the “watch list” section of the lists), which were to be forwarded to a “group 7888″ and groups believed to be possible successor-groups to ACORN, the now-shuttered Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (12 appearances on the “watch list” section). Those applications were also to be elevated to managers for further review. All 22 documents also flagged applicants with Puerto Rico addresses and certain types of “Testamentary Trusts.”
It is worth noting that Issa subpoenaed the IRS records last year, and has certainly seen these same documents. As has ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings which helps to explain why he blew up at Issa back in March.
Much like Fast and Furious and Benghazi, this whole thing has been bullshit from day one.
And it is taxpayer money that is being spent while the Republicans desperately beat the bushes hoping to uncover, or create out of whole cloth, some scandal that will stick against the Obama administration.
This homely SOB always looks as though he has a fart caught crosswise. How did he EVER get elected, with his criminal background, I wonder. Karl Rove was the instigator of this entire fiasco, once HIS tax exempt group was questioned. Nobody has the right to quesrion Bush's "brain"!!!
ReplyDelete"How did he ever get elected..."
DeleteJust look at his district... Uberconservativeland.
Here's another example of GOP bullying when the truth is told. Too bad the teacher apologized (since he was clearly bullied by the GOP), because he was ABSOLUTELY correct in his assessment.
ReplyDelete----------------
A creative writing instructor at Eastern Connecticut State University was forced to apologize after a GOP state legislator complained about his comments in class ripping Republican policies for obstructing voting access, the Connecticut Mirror reported.
“There are a lot of people out there that do not want black people to vote, do not want Latinos to vote,” adjunct professor Brent Terry said in audio posted online on Monday by the conservative site Campus Reform. “Do not want old people to vote, or young people to vote. Because generally, people like you are liberal.”
Terry also refers to conservatives as “racist, misogynist, money-grubbing people” in the recording, and warns his students about the prospect of Republicans gaining a majority in the Senate to go along with their dominance in the House.
“We will live in a very, very, very different kind of country if that happens,” he says. “I mean, colleges will start closing up if they, if this people have their way. They don’t think money should go to giving you people dangerous ideas about how the world should be run.”
State House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr (R) blasted Terry’s comments on Tuesday on the House floor.
“I find it offensive as a Republican, as a parent and frankly as a citizen of the state of Connecticut that we would have in our public university a professor who would make such a comment,” Cafero said. He reportedly drew bipartisan applause after denouncing Terry’s remarks.
An hour later, Terry issued his apology, saying he let his political stance “color” classroom discussion. Cafero reportedly accepted the apology.
“As a liberal arts university, Eastern is known for encouraging debate and discussion about a host of social and political issues,” Terry was quoted as saying. “My role in my own classroom is to keep the debate lively yet respectful. I did not meet that standard yesterday, and for that I am truly sorry.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/23/conn-college-teacher-forced-to-apologize-for-calling-out-racist-misogynist-gop-policy/
So when do the people who want creationism taught as fact apologize? When do the racist thugs who want to keep minorities out of our colleges call out the SC for yesterday's acceptance of Michigan's racist law that has seen minority acceptance at UM drop 30% in the last 8 years? I know. Never. Which makes them think they are righteous and correct in trying to undermine and ruin this nation.
ReplyDeleteMissouri Republicans Seek to Impeach Democratic Governor For No Real Reason
ReplyDeleteIn today’s hyper-partisan environment it is not unusual for Republican officials to call for impeachment of Democratic office holders on the flimsiest of pretexts. Any scandal, however small in scope, can be used to drum up support for ousting an elected official through impeachment. However, Missouri House Republicans have sunken to a new low by seeking to impeach Democratic Governor Jay Nixon for no reason at all other than that they do not like the fact that he is a Democrat.
Nixon’s office has dismissed the efforts to impeach the Governor as a cheap ”publicity stunt”, and for good reason. Republicans have not been able to settle on a reason for wanting to impeach the Governor, but instead have cast about haphazardly by pointing to three different reasons hoping one will stick. The reasons they have settled upon are far from compelling and merely illustrate how desperate the Missouri GOP’s efforts are. Show-me-State Republicans have showed their hands and there is simply nothing to see.
The grounds for impeachment that Republicans are pursuing rest on three different issues. Representative Nick Marshall wants to impeach Nixon for asking state officials to accept joint tax returns from same-sex couples who were legally married in other states. Obviously, Marshall opposes Nixon’s executive order, but does he really think that policy difference warrants impeachment proceedings?
Republicans Mike Moon and Rick Brattin want to impeach the Governor for not moving fast enough to schedule special elections to fill vacancies in the General Assembly. Yet, the Governor has already set the dates to fill those vacancies, although I suppose one could argue that “fast enough” is a relative term and that the difference between setting the elections one day and the next is the difference between being “fast enough” and needing to be impeached.
Brattin also wants to impeach Governor Jay Nixon for not punishing officials harshly enough for allegedly sharing concealed carry endorsement information with the federal government. Republicans allege that the Missouri Department of Revenue and the Missouri Highway Patrol are collecting data on conceal and carry permit holders and sharing that data with federal law enforcement, to help create a national gun registry although that allegation has never been proven.
Although the odds of Governor Nixon being impeached on such flimsy grounds are probably slim, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Stanley Cox (R) says he will grant a hearing to consider impeachment proceedings if the men who filed articles of impeachment seek one.
Republicans seeking to impeach Governor Nixon are making a mockery of the legislative process and trivializing impeachment by making it simply a political cudgel by which they can bludgeon people they disagree with, even in the absence of any criminal or unethical behavior.
more...
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/04/23/missouri-republicans-seek-impeach-democratic-governor-real-reason.html
We already knew this guy was an asshole! He has a record in his background.
ReplyDeleteHe should be taken to the shed and beaten to a bloody pulp - perhaps then he'd learn to be a 'clean' politician in the Republican party!
Sorry, the Repubs would never tolerate a clean politician. Where would that get them?
DeleteIssa looks as though he "fell from the UGLY tree, and hit every branch on the way down".
DeleteTheir impeachment wishes won't work! Just a great way of spending tax payer money which is what these asshole Republicans are doing nationwide. Vote them out of office folks - the Republicans are one awful, nasty, evil party! And, very, very bad for the USA!
ReplyDeleteThat's their (GOP)'s MO. Spending taxpayers money while screwing the taxpayers, because they can. GOTV and get them out of office.
ReplyDeleteHe's Palin with a more well-groomed hairpiece.
ReplyDeleteIssa is more a psychopath than a sociopath. Just look at his earlier history and his behavior since he was elected. He is intelligent and cunning and completely devoid of a conscience. He established a company that sold 'Viper' car alarms. Very fitting since he is a snake.
ReplyDeleteHow else will Issa stay relevant to the idiots who elected him?
ReplyDelete