The Continuing Obama IRS Scandal

Yesterday, Judicial Watch hosted a panel discussion entitled "The Continuing Obama IRS Scandal" Congressman Jim Jordan who will be speaking on the monthly RNLA Conference call on June 28^th was on the panel.

He started by stating that the ultimate goal was to get to the truth and that it will take time. However, there is no statute of limitations on the truth and that it will eventually come out. He then went into discussing the IRS and how they are the same entity that enforces Obamacare.

Congressman Jordan was also upset that when FBI Director Mueller came to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, he did not know who was heading up the investigation of the IRS scandal. There was not even evidence that the FBI had talked to the victims of the harassment. Further and perhaps most chilling was that the FBI visited many of these conservative groups when they were in the process of applying for tax-exempt status.

Jenny Beth Martin co-founder of the Tea-Party Patriots was also on the panel and she talked about how to this day they still have not gotten an answer about their tax-exempt status. She said that without being a 501C3 organization, which enables donations to be made tax free, that they are unable to raise money.

She then went into some of the question that were asked of the Tea-Party Patriots by the IRS including the names of any people in Legislative bodies that they had been in contact with. Additionally, the IRS asked for all of their Facebook and twitter comments and posts printed out for them.

She concluded by saying the most of these organizations are run by volunteers simply trying to express their First Amendment rights. She also said that nothing has been solved and that the problems of IRS harassment are still persisting.

RNLA Board of Governors Member Cleta Mitchell also spoke on the panel. She started by talking about how to start any kind of organization you need to tell the IRS what you are and what you are going to do. She stated that we need to get rid of the “Mother may I” problem with the Federal government when trying to establish organizations.

Mitchell also stated that many of these conservative organizations are in legal limbo because if they were rejected they could appeal in court. However she stated that she represents groups that applied in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and they still have not received letters about their tax-exempt status. One of the organizations that she represents lobbied against Obamacare and still has not received tax-exempt status.

The main point from the panel was that this scandal is not in the past tense. Problems still remain and free speech is being stifled. Tom Fitton President of Judicial Watch concluded the panel by saying that Republicans need to follow through and not try to simply score political points but rather try to bring about structural changes in the way these conservative organizations go about getting tax exempt statuses.