Editors Note: This article was the lead on The Daily Signal, the news and information site of the Heritage Foundation. We reprint here.
The Internal Revenue Service, already under investigation for illegally targeting conservative and tea party groups, recently audited the conservative Breitbart News Network in a move that the company says was politically motivated.
The IRS sought the company’s financial records from 2012, Fox News reportedearlier today. Brietbart.com relaunched that year with a more robust reporting team. Over the past two years, it has produced hard-hitting stories exposing scandals in the Obama administration.
The news drew a swift reaction from Breitbart’s leaders and prompted Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to fire off a letter to the IRS demanding answers about the audit.
“For the IRS to behave like a partisan political organization, targeting media organizations whose views differ from the president’s, would represent a gross abuse of power,” Cruz said. “It would undermine the statutory mission and integrity of the IRS. And it would likely subject IRS employees to criminal prosecution.”
Cruz said the IRS’ recent track record made the action against Breitbart “highly questionable.”
For more than a year, the agency has faced scrutiny for its illegal targeting of conservative and tea party groups seeking nonprofit status. The IRS also recently agreed to pay a $50,000 fine for wrongfully leaking the National Organization for Marriage’s confidential tax information.
Breitbart’s leaders said they wouldn’t cower under the threat of an IRS audit.
Read the rest of the story at the Daily Signal.
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You on the left that see the Obama administration using the IRS to target their opposition need to ask what happens when conservatives take control of the government. Do you want the IRS targeting your group?
ReplyDeleteThis is a very dangerous slope, and those involved including but not limited to, Lois Learner need to be put in jail for this.
This is a very dangerous slope, and those involved including but not limited to, Lois Learner need to be put in jail for this.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 11, 2014 at 6:33 PM
Presidents have used the IRS as a weapon for decades. Nixon was famous for it.
It was bad enough the gov had this guy killed, but to sic the IRS on them is bad pool old sport.