Rein in the IRS Rallies

7/30/2019 Rein in the IRS Rallies

1/11

THEIRSTARGETSTEAPARTYPATRIOTS

I.OVERVIEWOFTHEIRSSCANDAL&IMPACTONTEAPARTYPATRIOTS

Timeline:AccordingtotheIGreport,theIRSbegantargetingconservativeorganizations,especiallyTeaPartygroups,inFebruaryof2010.TheIRSagentswere

directedtotargetorganizationswiththewords"patriot"or"teaparty"inthenames.

IRSDishonesty:In2011,theWays&MeansCommitteeconductedahearingbasedoninitialreportsthatconservativeandTeaPartyorganizationswerebeingtargeted.At

thattime,theIRScommissionerliedandsaidtherewasabsolutelynotargetingtaking

place,eventhoughhehadalreadybeenbriefedabouttheprocessandknewthatitwas

hisagency'spolicytosingleoutconservativegroupsanddelayordenytheirapplication

process.

LackofAccountability:Sincethepubliclearnedaboutthisproblem,therehasbeenverylittleaccountabilitytakenbyanyoneintheAdministrationorintheExecutive

Branch.AlthoughStevenMiller,theactingcommissioneroftheIRS,resigned,he

testifiedbeforetheWays&MeansCommitteeonMay17thanddeniedtherewasany

politicalagendaoranysignificantwrong-doing. ImmenseScopeoftheProblem:Wehavelearnedthatnearly500groupsaroundthe

countrywereaffectedbythispolicyoftargetingconservativeorganizations.Weare

continuingtolearnaboutotherorganizationsthatwereharassed,andwearejustnow

beginningtoseethattheIRSmisuseditsauditauthoritytosingleoutindividuals

associatedwithTPP,aswellastheirsmallbusinesses.

ChallengesTPPGroupsHaveExperienced:BecauseTeaPartyPatriotsgroupsweretargeted,manywereunabletofundraiseandTeaPartyPatriotslocalgroupsandthe

nationalgrouplostmembershipanddonorsasadirectconsequenceofthisillegal

practiceattheIRS.

PervasiveCultureofFear:TheIRS'spolicyoftargetingTeaPartygroupshashadachillingeffect.DozensofTPPstatecoordinatorshavesaidthattheyweretooafraidto

submittheirapplicationsaftertheylearnedaboutwhatothergroupswereexperiencing.

II.ANEXTRAORDINARYABUSEOFPOWER

Itisawell-knowntruththatthe"powertotaxisthepowertodestroy."TeaPartyPatriotsgroupsknowthisbyexperiencenow.

TheInternalRevenueServicesis,perhaps,oneofthemostfearedgovernmentagenciesbecauseofitsimmensepowertoauditandrepossesspeople'sassets.TheAmerican

publichastherighttoexpecttheirtaxlawstobeenforcedinatransparentandequal


2/11

way,irrespectiveoftheindividual'spersonalconvictionsorgroupmembershipsand

associations.

TheIRShascrossedalineandsetaprecedentwhereindividualsandtheirbusinessesmaybetargetedandharassedbasedsolelyontheirpoliticalviewsorvolunteer

memberships.

Thislarge-scaleabuseofpowerisillegal,unacceptable,andunconstitutional.TheIRS'sactionsareentirelyinconsistentwithourFoundingFathers'visionforagovernmentthatwouldbeaccountabletothepeople.

III.THECRITICALLYIMPORTANTROLEOFTHETEAPARTYPATRIOTS

TheFirstAmendmentguaranteesfreedomofspeech,whichtheSupremeCourthasconsistentlysaidincludestherightofassociation.Americanshavetherighttoform

groupsandassociationsforthepurposesofpoliticaleducationandcivicengagement.

TeaPartyPatriotsisanationalorganizationthatexistsforthepurposeofencouraginggrassrootsinvolvementinholdingthegovernmentaccountable.OneofTPP'score

beliefsisthatourgovernmentshouldbeconstitutionallylimited.TheIRSscandal

illustratesjusthowimportanttheTeaPartyPatriots'missionis.

AlthoughTPPhasbeentargetedandharassedoverthepastthreeyearsbyourgovernment,wewillcontinueourwork,educatingthepublicabouttheConstitutionandalsoreininginthescopeofthefederalgovernment.


3/11

Letter to the Editor IRS Abuse of Power Week of May 20

Congress needs to slow down and investigate IRS

On May 10th

, America learned that the IRS perhaps the most frightening of all governmentagencies has been singling out and targeting conservative groups, including Tea Party

groups. The IRS has waged a three-year war against the Tea Party, harassing our groups

and even auditing our individual members. This abuse of power is unacceptable and un-

Constitutional, and it must stop.

The Tea Party movement began organically in 2010 in response to government excess.

Since then, it has attracted millions of Americans. The Tea Party consists of individuals who

are committed to defending the Constitution and teaching future generations about the

importance of limited government and fiscal responsibility.

The Tea Party has been extremely effective at exposing government corruption and

government waste. We've had our fair share of successes holding elected officials

accountable and influencing legislation. So, in a certain sense, it's no wonder that

Washington's ruling elite would be on guard against the Tea Party movement. Any

movement that challenges Washington's grip on power and the status quo is going to

garner a great deal of attention.

The revelation that the IRS has been singling out and harassing conservative organizations

comes at a time when Congress is handing off even more power to unelected and

unaccountable officials in the Executive Branch. S.744, the Senate amnesty bill, gives

decision-making authority for almost all areas of our immigration policies to the Secretaryof Homeland Security. The Secretary, of course, is nominated for that position and never

has to face the voters or be in any way accountable to the American public.

But if this scandal at the IRS has taught us anything, it's that we need to rein in the federal

government and make it more accountable to us. The IRS's abuse of power highlights why

the Senate needs to slow down with its amnesty bill. We simply cannot trust bureaucrats

to make the right decisions. Immigration policy is too complex and too important for us to

delegate to a group of bureaucrats who may be pursuing an agenda that doesn't match

Americans' best interest.

Join your fellow (insert name for local residents, like Floridians) this Thursay, May 23rdat 5:30 pm at(insert location) for a street rally to rein in the IRS and stop the abuse of

power.


4/11

May 20, 2013

Senator _____________________

Address: __________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

Dear Senator:

As your constituent, I am writing to tell you that I am extremely alarmed by what we have

learned has been taking place at the IRS for the past three years. The IRS has been abusing

its power and targeting conservative organizations, including Tea Party groups, and has

harassed individuals by subjecting them to invasive questionnaires and audits. These

actions are completely unacceptable and demand serious investigation and oversight by

Congress.

What is equally alarming is that in the midst of the revelations about this scandal, the Senate

is continuing to push its amnesty bill, S. 744. The IRS scandal involves a gross abuse of

power and mismanagement of the federal bureaucracy. It is, therefore, extremely difficult

to understand why the Senate wants to grow the bureaucracy and give unelected officials at

the Department of Homeland Security almost complete decision-making authority in the

area of immigration.

The amnesty bill expands the federal bureaucracy and gives unprecedented control of our

entire immigration system to the Secretary of Homeland Security, another unelected (and

thus, unaccountable) figure in Washington. If the IRS's extreme abuse of power has taught

us anything, it ought to be that it is time for Congress to get serious about reining in the

federal bureaucracy and representing the American people.

Although the unelected officials at the IRS are not directly accountable to voters, they are

indirectly accountable to us through our elected officials in Washington. It is your job, as

my United States Senator, to ensure that this scandal is fully investigated. The 2010

elections proved that voters do hold elected officials accountable, and I can assure you that

the American public is closely watching Congress's response to this un-Constitutional and

un-American attack on our liberties. Next year's elections will be another opportunity forvoters to express their dismay with Congress if appropriate measures are not taken to stop

the federal bureaucracy's abuses of power.

Sincerely,

_________________________________


5/11

Sample Tweets May 20, 2013

Sample Tweets for Twitter:

IRS scandal is exactly why fed gov't needs less authority. #DCIntervention

IRS scandal = what we've been fighting against for 4 years. #DCIntervention

The fed bureaucracy is so large that we can't hold them accountable for crimes like IRS scandal.

We will never stop fighting for Americans and justice for victims of IRS.

Let @TPPatriots know about your IRS persecution stories. #DCIntervention "I don't know" is not a

comforting answer from IRS head.

@IRS has a lot of explaining to do. How many personal audits of patriots?

Sign our petition to hold IRS accountable

IRS targeting conservatives must be corrected. #DCIntervention

Fair, equal application of law applies to Tea Party too. #DCIntervention

IRS scandals illustrate why America needs the tea party!


6/11

No more harassment! No more intimidation from IRS. #DCIntervention

Tea Party Patriots: protects and defends the Constitution. IRS: targets and audits defenders of the

Constitution


7/11


8/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (ADD NAME, NUMBER AND EMAIL)May 10, 2013

IRS Admits Targeting Tea Party and PatriotGroups for Harassment in 2012 ElectionTea Party Patriots Reject Apology, Demand Resignations

and Insist on Investigation

(YOUR CITY) Today the Tea Party Patriots, the nations largest tea party organization,rejected the apology by the IRS for targeting tax-exempt groups for further review during the2012 election cycle and demanded the immediate resignations of all of those involved in thedeliberate harassment of Tea Party Patriots and similar groups. News reports indicated that Lois

Lerner, who oversees tax-exempt groups at the IRS, blamed the targeting of organizations thatincluded the words tea party or patriot in their tax-exempt applications on low-level workersin Cincinnati.

The IRS has demonstrated the most disturbing, illegal and outrageous abuse of governmentpower, said (INSERT YOUR NAME) of (INSERT NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION).This deliberate targeting and harassment of tea party groups reaches a new low in illegalgovernment activity and overreach. It is suspicious that the activity of these low-level workerswas unknown to IRS leadership at the time it occurred. President Obama must also apologizefor his administration ignoring repeated complaints by these broad grassroots organizations ofharassment by the IRS in 2012, and make concrete and transparent steps today to ensure this

never happens again. We reject a simple apology that does nothing to alleviate the danger ofthis happening again. Only immediate and public actions on the part of the IRS and thepresident will suffice.

We demand the immediate resignation of all complicit in this activity and insist Congressinvestigate.

Tea Party Patriotsis a national grassroots coalition with more than 3,400 locally organizedchapters and more than 15 million supporters nationwide. Tea Party Patriots is a non-profit,non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility,constitutionally limited government, and free markets. Visit Tea Party Patriots online at

www.TeaPartyPatriots.org.

For further information, please contact (INSERT YOUR NAME) of (INSERT NAME OF YOURORGANIZATION).

###
http://www.teapartypatriots.org/http://www.teapartypatriots.org/http://www.teapartypatriots.org/


9/11

Sample Sign Waving Messages for Protests outside IRS

Buildings

Week of May 20, 2013

Audit the IRS!

Stop the targeting!

Protect the 1st Amendment!

IRS targeting must stop!

No more cover-ups from IRS!

America deserves better!

No more harassment from IRS!

Stop the IRS's abuse of power!

Unfair and Un-Constitutional!

Protect the Constitution!

Abolish the IRS!


10/11

Sample Blog Post

Week of May 20, 2013We need more answers about IRS abuse of power

On May 10th

, America learned that the IRS perhaps the most frightening of allgovernment agencies has been singling out and targeting conservative groups,

including Tea Party groups. This admission from the IRS confirms what many of us

had already suspected. The IRS has, in fact, been delaying our applications and

harassing those of us who wanted to form local Tea Party chapter organizations. In

some extreme cases, the IRS went after Tea Party local leaders and audited their

family members. President Obama said the IRS's actions are "unacceptable." He's

right, but these actions are also un-American and un-Constitutional.

The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right to free speech, which

includes the right to political speech and the right to associate and form groups with

other like-minded individuals. The Tea Party movement, which began organically in2010 in response to government excess, has attracted millions of regular Americans.

The Tea Party movement is, at its core, the embodiment of the American spirit. The

Tea Party movement sprang up in response to the government's abuses of its

powers, and this latest stunt from the IRS confirms for many of us why the Tea Party

is so necessary.

In response to this outrageous revelation, the House Ways & Means Committee

immediately held a hearing to question Steven Miller, the former acting

commissioner of the IRS who resigned because of the scandal, but only one month

before his term would have ended. The questions at the hearing covered a broad

spectrum: When did you learn about this targeting? What actions did you take afterlearning about this issue? Why did you previously lie to the Ways & Means

Committee? Why did you mislead the American people about this problem? But Mr.

Miller is apparently suffering from temporary amnesia because the only answer he

offered was: "I don't remember." The systemic abuse of power that took place for

nearly three years at the IRS is simply too far-reaching and widespread for Mr.

Miller to get away with not remembering what took place.

Americans expect that our government will enforce its laws and rules especially its

tax laws with fairness and equal application. Congress needs to keep asking

questions and demanding more substantive answers than the evasive responses Mr.

Miller provided.


11/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (ADD NAME, NUMBER AND EMAIL)May 20, 2013

Tea Party Patriots to Protest at Local IRS OfficesTea Party Patriots will protest at local IRS Offices across the

country on May 21, 2013

(YOUR CITY) Today the Tea Party Patriots, the nations largest tea party organization,announced a series of protests across the country, which will take place at local IRS officestomorrow, May 21, 2013 at noon local time

The IRS has demonstrated the most disturbing, illegal and outrageous abuse of governmentpower, said (INSERT YOUR NAME) of (INSERT NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION).

. The protests are in response to the IRS'sadmission that the agency has engaged in systemic harassment and targeting of conservativeorganizations. For the past three years, the IRS has been targeting Tea Party Patriots andother conservative tax-exempt organizations for additional scrutiny, and has singled these

organizations out for audits and invasive reviews of their tax-exempt applications.

(INSERT NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION) will be protesting outside the local IRS office at(INSERT FULL ADDRESS OF LOCAL IRS OFFICE) tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21st

at 12:00pm. Everyone who is interested in reining in the IRS's unchecked power is welcome to join theprotest.

"We demand the immediate termination or resignation of all complicit in this activity and insist

Congress investigate to determine if legal charges must be brought against those involved."Tea Party Patriotsis a national grassroots coalition with more than 3,400 locally organizedchapters and more than 15 million supporters nationwide. Tea Party Patriots is a non-profit,non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the principles of fiscal responsibility,constitutionally limited government, and free markets. Visit Tea Party Patriots online atwww.TeaPartyPatriots.org.

For further information about the protest, please contact (INSERT YOUR NAME) of (INSERTNAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION).

###
http://www.teapartypatriots.org/http://www.teapartypatriots.org/http://www.teapartypatriots.org/

Rein in the IRS Rallies

Documents

Transcript of Rein in the IRS Rallies