IRS apologizes for singling out conservative groups: How did it happen?

The IRS acknowledges it gave additional scrutiny to the tax-exemption applications of conservative groups. Top Republican lawmakers are calling for a White House investigation into the agency.

By Allison Terry,?Correspondent / May 10, 2013

The Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday for inappropriately targeting conservative political groups for extra review of their tax-exemption applications during the 2012 campaign. Top Republicans have called on the White House to investigate the agency.

Susan Walsh/AP/File

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The Internal Revenue Service singled out conservative political groups for additional scrutiny of their tax-exempt status during the 2012 election, which conservative groups say is proof that the IRS has been unfairly targeting them.

Skip to next paragraph Allison Terry

Correspondent

Allison Terry works on national news desk for the Christian Science Monitor. She also contributes to the culture section and Global News blog.

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About 75 organizations with ?tea party? or ?patriot? in their tax-exemption applications received extra review during a broader screening process of political advocacy groups, said Lois Lerner, who oversees the tax-exemption division at the IRS.

?That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive, and it was inappropriate,? Ms. Lerner said Friday at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. ?That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review. The?IRS?would like to apologize for that.?

Low-level employees in Cincinnati initiated the practice to deal with an influx of tax-exemption applications between 2010 and 2012, Lerner said.

?Mistakes were made initially, but they were in no way due to any political or partisan rationale,? said the IRS in a statement. ?We fixed the situation last year and have made significant progress in moving the centralized cases through our system.?

Conservative groups accused the IRS of targeting them during the 2012 election by sending additional questionnaires for their applications. So for them, the IRS apology is too little, too late.

?The IRS has demonstrated the most disturbing, illegal and outrageous abuse of government power,? Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, said in a statement.??This deliberate targeting and harassment of Tea Party groups reaches a new low in illegal government activity and overreach.?

Top Republican lawmakers are calling for a White House investigation into the agency.

?Today, I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not underway at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views,? said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky in a statement.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/wnE6Iwl8wNU/IRS-apologizes-for-singling-out-conservative-groups-How-did-it-happen

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