The Obama Administration's "Apolitical" Lackeys

We are beginning to understand the full extent of the Obama administration's efforts to suppress its conservative political opponents by means of IRS manipulation of tax-exempt status approvals. No tea party applications were approved in a 27-month period beginning February 2010 and covering much of the 2012 presidential election period, but during rhe same period, numerous applications from liberal and progressive groups were given tax-exempt status. Some of those approved: (1). Bus for Progress, New Jersey nonprofit organization whose mission is to support "progressive politicians with the courage to serve the people's interests and make tough choices." The group, which uses a red, white and blue bus to "drive the progressive change," was approved as a social-welfare group in April 2011. (2). Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, approved in September 2011. The group says it fights against corporate welfare and toward increasing the minimum wage. (3). Progress Florida, which lobbies the Sunshine State's legislature to expand Medicaid under the provisions of Obamacare, and was approved in January 2011. These liberal groups, like the tea party organizations, sought tax reductions as social-welfare groups. It has also been revealed that during the same period the IRS expedited tax-exempt status for a charity run by President Barack Obama's half brother, despite numerous questions about how it is run. The application from the Barack H Obama Foundation was even backdated, The Daily Caller reports. Concerning another application, Representative Bill Flores, a Texas Republican, said the IRS actions show how the Obama administration puts politics ahead of anything else. Last year, Flores filed a complaint after the IRS asked the Waco Tea Party for information that he said was "overreaching and impossible to comply with." The IRS wanted transcripts of radio interviews, copies of social-media posts, and details on "close relationships" with political candidates as part of the process, claimed Flores, who says that when he asked questions, the agency failed to answer adequately. "They did more than sidestep the issue," Flores said. "They flipped me the finger." Lois Lerner, the IRS official responsible for granting tax-exemption status, has admitted the agency was mistaken to subject tea party groups to additional scrutiny and has apologized. But she denies rejecting groups based on ideology, and said some progressive groups also were selected for further scrutiny. IRS records obtained by The Daily Caller are said to show that Lerner signed papers granting tax-exempt status to the foundation run by Obama's half brother Abongo "Roy" Malik Obama. She signed off on the organization's tax status in June 2011 -- right in the middle of the 27-month hiatus for tea-party groups -- and granted it retroactive status within a month of filing. Action for a Progressive Future has faced legal issues over the past few years. In the month before the foundation was granted tax-exempt status, the National Legal and Policy Center filed a complaint with the IRS, asking why the group was allowed to solicit tax-deductible contributions when it had not applied for a tax exempt status determination. That's when Lerner gave it the retroactive exemption back to December 2008. "The Obama Foundation raised money on its web page by falsely claiming to be tax deductible. The organization run by Malik had not even applied and yet subsequently got retroactive tax-deductible status," complained Ken Boehm chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center. He called the attempt to raise money "common law fraud and potentially even federal mail fraud." The Obama Foundation was set up ostensibly to help poor children in Kenya where Roy Obama lives. However, The Daily Caller says, it has not registered in Virginia, where it is said to be based. The IRS official, Lerner, a registered Democrat, has been slammed for the IRS handling of conservative groups, but her colleagues defend her, saying she acts "apolitically." ~~~~~ So, dear readers, we now have the Obama administration's definition of "apolitical." It consists in granting tax exempt status to liberal groups, as well as granting dubious tax exempt status to the President's half brother and back-dating it to cover his possibly illegal prior requests for tax-deductible contributions. The Obama administration's IRS definition of "apolitical" also includes refusing that same tax exempt status to any - not one - conservative organization during the same period -- undoubtedly resulting in the manipulated election of some Democratic Congresspeople and giving Obama an unfair advantage against his 2012 presidential opponent, Mitt Romney. Apolitical is clearly "in the eye of the beholder" I'd say. And I'd also say that the "beholders" in the Obama camp have some serious answering to do to the American people who naively trusted them.