Tea Party activists told Congress Tuesday they felt violated by “un-American” intrusions by the US tax agency, as they recalled the targeting of conservative groups during President Barack Obama’s administration.
Representatives of various groups gave emotional testimony before a House panel probing Internal Revenue Service wrongdoings that erupted into a scandal last month when the singling out of Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax-exempt status came to light.
“This was not an accident,” Tea Party Wetumpka President Becky Gerritson told the House Ways and Means Committee, referring to the extra scrutiny the IRS leveled on conservative groups.
“This is a willful act of intimidation to discourage a point of view,” she added. “What the government did to our little group in Wetumpka, Alabama, is un-American.”
Gerritson was one of several group founders invited by House Republicans to speak at the latest in a number of congressional hearings investigating all aspects of the scandal.
“Three years ago, the agency began systematically targeting individuals based on their political beliefs,” noted Republican Dave Camp, the committee’s chairman.
“However, what the agency has yet to admit, and what we still need to find out, is just how widespread this activity was, who ordered it and why it began in the first place.”
Republicans suspect the administration used the targeting as a way to derail conservative efforts during the run-up to the 2010 mid-term election and last year’s presidential race, which was won by incumbent Obama.
The White House has denied early knowledge of the abuse, saying it only learned of the events from a US Treasury watchdog report.
The probe found that agents at a Cincinnati field office were systematically targeting groups with “Tea Party” and “Patriot” in their names.
Gerritson filed her group’s non-profit application in October 2010. After long delays, the IRS issued her a 90-point questionnaire, including a request for the names of all her group’s volunteers.
The demands “shocked me, as someone who loves liberty and the First Amendment” of the US Constitution, Gerritson said.
She hired legal counsel and her application was approved last July.
Non-profit status allows groups to avoid paying taxes on donations and, under certain circumstances, to fundraise anonymously.
But the law places limits on what political activities are acceptable for tax-exempt groups.
Even as Republicans and Democrats alike savaged the IRS for their reviews, some Democrats asked why the groups felt entitled to tax-exempt status when federal law places restrictions on political activity by non-profits.
“None of your organizations were kept from organizing or silenced. We are talking about whether or not the American public will subsidize your work” through tax breaks, House Democrat Jim McDermott said.
“Each of your groups is highly political.”
The IRS is undergoing a review under new Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel.
Tea Party groups recall harassment by US tax agency
