IRS cannot become rogue agency
Americans of all political stripes should be shuddering at the abuse of power displayed by the Internal Revenue Service in screening conservative political groups.
The IRS, more than any other federal agency perhaps, already strikes fear in citizens. The idea that its power could be politically weaponized against one target group ought to be cause for concern among all groups.
An agency charged with collecting revenue for the government, more than any other agency, must carry out its business in a manner that avoids even the appearance of political influence.
This disturbing scandal has emerged with a cascade of stories this week about how hundreds of conservative “patriot” or “tea party” groups seeking non-profit status were subjected to vetting so onerous and intrusive that many complained and some simply gave up. After the hyper screening got underway in early 2010, no Tea Party groups were granted tax-exempt status for 27 months.
Essentially, the government had an active role in squelching a genuine political movement, infringing on First Amendment political speech and quelling the ability of these groups to effectively organize, all in the two years prior to a presidential election.
Meanwhile, progressive groups applying for the same tax status to carry out similar activities were apparently subjected to entirely different review standards, some getting approved in as little as nine months, according to a report in USA Today.
The biggest question of all is was there direct influence on the IRS from political operatives in the Obama administration or the Democratic Party. So far, that case has not been proven.
One retired IRS agent, who happens to be treasurer for a Tea Party group, offered a plausible explanation about how the agency simply may have been reacting to a surge in tax-exempt applications.
“If you suddenly see a great increase in some kind of activity, and you don’t understand why, then it might be reasonable to look more closely at what’s happening with those applications,” she said.
Maybe. But on Wednesday the IRS said it has identified two “rogue” employees in its Cincinnati office who went “off the reservation” in targeting conservatives.
And the problem would seem to be much larger than that. Attorney General Eric Holder has launched an FBI investigation into the IRS, and he says it will be nationwide.
Clearly, this wasn’t the work of a couple of people making up their own rules in an isolated office; it was an agencywide, programmatic approach from multiple IRS offices looking into hundreds of conservative groups across the country. Meaning, there was administrative direction, and that’s what deserves the utmost scrutiny. Finding out who is responsible, as far up the chain of command as possible, is imperative. And they must be held accountable.
The IRS cannot be allowed to become a rogue agency.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.