Levin is demanding answers. Levin: IRS tea party probe 'flawed'

The inspector general report that fueled the IRS tea party targeting scandal is “fundamentally flawed” because it failed to include details that progressive groups were also flagged for extra attention, a senior House Democrat said late Monday.

Michigan Rep. Sander Levin, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, is demanding answers from Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George about whether it investigated the use of search terms aimed at liberal organisations in the same manner as it probed the agency’s oversight of groups that used terms such as “tea party” or “patriot” in their application for a tax exemption.


“The American public expects competent, impartial, unbiased, and non-political treatment from the IRS,” Levin wrote. “That same standard is also applicable to you and your organization. Your audit served as the basis and impetus for a wide range of congressional investigations and this new information shows that the foundation of those investigations is flawed in a fundamental way.”

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Republicans have latched onto the inspector general’s report that found the IRS applied extra scrutiny to conservative groups seeking tax exempt status based on their political beliefs. But the agency’s leader, Daniel Werfel, said on Monday that so-called “be on the look out” lists extended beyond conservative search terms.

The IRS continued to use the “progressives” search term until April 2013, documents provided to the panel by the IRS show.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) is already pushing back against Levin’s suggestion that liberal groups faced the same type of scrutiny from the IRS as conservative organizations.

“It is one thing to flag a group, it is quite another to repeatedly target and abuse conservative groups,” a Camp spokeswoman said. “Tea Party groups were not just on a BOLO they were (1) sent intrusive and inappropriate questions, (2) had their donors threatened with gift taxes and (3) had their confidential information leaked.”

George, who has testified before Congress multiple times on his report, told lawmakers that the inspector general launches audits on topics requested by lawmakers. The targeting audit requested by House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa specifically requested a review of IRS actions related to conservative groups.