IRS scandal broadens as they targeted pro-Israel groups, Z Street even filed a lawsuit
In addition to the IRS targeting ‘tea party’ and ‘patriot’ groups, Jewish groups may have endured additional scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service for having views on Israel that are contrary to those of the Obama administration and for possible connections to Israel.
The Jewish Press is reporting that a strongly pro-Israel group was singled out by the IRS for intrusive and inappropriate questions when it applied for tax exempt status.
The organization known as “Z Street” was told that there was a “a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” .
Z STREET actually filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming it had been told by an IRS agent that because the organization was “connected to Israel,” its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny.
“Israel is one of many Middle Eastern countries that have a ‘higher risk of terrorism,’” wrote Jon Waddell, manager of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations Determinations Group. “A referral to TAG is appropriate whenever an application mentions providing resources to organizations in a country with a higher risk of terrorism.”
After two and a half years of non-movement, the very first hearing in Z STREET v IRS was recently scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2, in the Federal District Court of the District of Columbia.
IRS person in charge of the division dealing with non-profits, Lois Lerner, apologized for actions taken by the agency which were based on political affiliation.
“That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association.
“The IRS would like to apologize for that,” she added.
photo screenshot White House video, cropped
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