The I.R.S. Scandal

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• published: 07 Feb 2015
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Update : July 8, 2015: Lerner Collaborated With DOJ To Target Conservative Groups - IRS Scandal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK-Fkk6fnWs Update: June 27, 2015 - IRS Watchdog: Agency Erased 422 Backup Tapes Containing Some Lerner Emails https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERn8XlT6OIk Update: February 12, 2015 Watchdog Uncovers 80,000 Lost Emails From Destroyed Lois Lerner Hard Drives - IRS Scandal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3otRlNsWXBQ Update: February 10, 2015 The Hill: Obama Admin Refusing To Release IRS Targeting Docs - IRS Scandal - Happening Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PQ4lRPMa4Y Update: February 7, 20|5 Secret Emails may Nail Obama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tic4xQ8JRU4 Since at least 2011, the IRS has carried out another role -- that of harassing and persecuting the Obama administration's political rivals, while granting special privileges to his allies. Anybody who belonged to a group with words like "Patriot" or "Tea Party" in its name found himself in the IRS's cross-hairs. This illegal harassment wasn't limited to one state, or one region -- and it didn't end with invasive questions about finances, donors, and membership lists. Like secret police investigators in a Communist country, IRS officials looking into the activities of pro-life activists scrutinized the "content of their prayers" for supposedly inappropriate political content, and even tried to impose limits on their peaceful outreach and activism. While the IRS was carrying out this campaign of persecution, its employees were spending tens of millions of dollars on extravagant employee retreats -- and unlike common taxpayers, they weren't required to keep track of their expenses. When they weren't busy abusing taxpayers and wasting their money, unionized IRS employees were preparing for the most radical expansion of the agency's mandate in its history, which will put it in charge of enforcing the new "Obamacare" law. That's right: Under Obamacare, the IRS will have the power to make life-and-death decisions affecting every U.S. citizen -- and the officials directly responsible for the harassment of the Tea Party movement will have critical roles in administering the new government-run health care system. How did we end up with the IRS? What are the dangers it represents to innocent taxpayers? What can be done to rein in that rogue agency -- and is it possible for us to be rid of it completely? You owe it to yourself to see "Crosshairs: The Internal Revenue Scandal" -- and to share what you learn with your friends and family. Your lives, and those of your loved ones, may literally depend on it. May 13, 2013 Revelations that the IRS targeted conservative groups have put the Obama White House on the defensive and are raising serious questions about what officials knew, and when they knew it. Among the new details that have come out: At least one official at the IRS knew in 2011 about the efforts to single out conservative groups who applied for tax-exempt status. The White House counsel knew about the IRS story during the week of April 22, more than two weeks before the president said he found out about it, press secretary Jay Carney said Monday. And Senate Republicans and Democrats engaged in a tug-of-war over whether the IRS was unfairly targeting conservative groups throughout 2012. The drip-drip of news since the story broke on Friday when the IRS's Lois Lerner admitted the agency targeted conservative groups, only underscores the high political stakes for the White House. The IRS scandal and fresh questions about Obama's handling of the Benghazi attacks have set the White House on its heels. The next mile marker will likely be the release of the full inspector general's report that was leaked over the weekend and that detailed how far back the IRS's knowledge of the targeting extended. Until then, orient yourself with this timeline: http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/a-guide-to-the-irs-scandal-what-happened-and-when-did-it-happen-20130513 Share to: Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1dU1ZJD Twitter: http://bit.ly/1f1gtOe Google+: http://bit.ly/1fpmTS3 LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/1dU2AuM Pinterest: http://bit.ly/1cJt8zk Reddit: http://redd.it/1y059w "More tax is collected by fear and intimidation than by the law. People are afraid of the IRS." -- Former IRS District Chief David Patnoe For taxpayers everywhere, terror is spelled I-R-S -- but the Internal Revenue Service is much more than just the world's most fearsome and ruthless tax collection agency. Current and former IRS officials have described how the agency literally considers itself to be at war with the tax-paying public. Leaked videos of IRS employee training sessions have revealed how agents have been taught to use unethical and illegal means to extract money from long-suffering taxpayers, and to retaliate against anybody -- whether ordinary citizen or conscience-stricken agency employee -- who objects.