The IRS knew agents were targeting tea party groups through “guilt by association” as far back as 2011, according to new documents released Wednesday by Judicial Watch that show the tax agency was deeply skeptical of all the new conservative groups emerging under President Obama’s watch.
“Agents were jumping to negative conclusions,” one IRS employee said in a handwritten note the agency produced to Judicial Watch, a conservative law firm.
The documents also confirm IRS bigwigs knew some cases were being handled at headquarters in Washington, D.C., despite top agency officials saying they were not part of the targeting and blaming it on misinformed employees in an office in Cincinnati.
“This further confirms the IRS knew about abuses years before they were exposed,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. “President Trump needs to reopen the criminal investigation of the IRS as soon as he is sworn into office.”
The IRS didn’t provide a comment Wednesday. The agency recently admitted in court that it improperly subjected tea party groups to intrusive scrutiny and questioning over their activities.
IRS aware of tea party targeting as early as 2011, watchdog finds
- by: Stephen Dinan
- 11-17-2016
- Source:
The Washington Times
- 04/09/2021