Tea Party groups set to sue IRS over targeting

Tea Party groups are preparing to sue the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over the agency’s improper targeting of conservative groups.

{mosads}Jordan Sekulow, the executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, said Thursday he was representing 17 groups that were lining up suits against the IRS, arguing that they suffered under the added scrutiny at the hands of the tax agency. 

Sekulow said he represents 27 Tea Party groups — 15 ultimately received approval for tax exemption from the IRS.

“They suffered damages. They lost members,” he said. “This is far from over, even if they do approve the remaining groups.

“It is at least the civil suits. They’re going to be filed next week, even for groups that got approved,” he added. “There are monetary damages here.”

The groups are looking to be certified as a class action but may also pursue cases individually in federal district courts in California, Ohio and the District of Columbia, he said. 

Sekulow also sent a letter to the IRS on Monday on behalf of 10 groups whose applications for 501(c)(4) status are still pending, demanding approval by noon on Friday.

Sekulow appeared on Capitol Hill alongside a number of Tea Party leaders and Tea Party-backed lawmakers. They hammered the IRS after it was revealed officials improperly targeted Tea Party groups and pressed for unnecessary information when those groups sought tax-exempt status.

Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, suggested the IRS actions were aimed at silencing speech and harassing Americans.

“The damage the IRS has caused may be immeasurable,” she said.

A government review of the practice, which ended in 2012, found that no Tea Party groups that received special targeting saw their applications for exemption rejected, but 28 withdrew their applications, and others had yet to receive a final ruling, sometimes years after initially applying.

President Obama accepted the resignation of acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller Wednesday evening, but those gathered made clear they were nowhere near satisfied.

“This is not a short-term political issue. This is a civil rights issue,” said Adam Brandon, executive vice president with FreedomWorks. “This is a long-term issue that is going to have an impact far beyond just the next election.

“It’s more like a third world junta than a constitutional republic,” he added.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who helmed the event, called the staff change “damage control 101,” undertaken by the White House in an effort to halt the president’s “no good, very bad week.”

“What we need to know is what did the White House know, and when did they know it,” she said.

“This is the way a tyrannical government comes into being,” Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said.