Thanks to the Sixth Circuit Court, the IRS was forced to admit their actions and settle in the millions with 428 Tea Party groups. While, it's satisfying to see such an action -- its the taxpayers who will foot the bill. Next step, identify the IRS employees responsible and sue them to recoup the judgment. Won't collect near what is owed, but it will serve as an example to other IRS employees. Just one more criminal action by the political appointees under the last Democrat administration.
"The Justice Department settled two lawsuits with conservative groups that claimed the Internal Revenue Service had unfairly scrutinized them during applications for tax-exempt status, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday.
The government agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement to resolve one lawsuit, which was brought on behalf of 428 groups, said Edward Greim, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs. The government will not pay damages to the 41 groups in the second lawsuit, but the Internal Revenue Service acknowledged its conduct was wrong.
The settlements mark the conclusion of two legal battles that have dogged the I.R.S. since the initial lawsuits were filed after a 2013 treasury inspector general's audit that found groups with Tea Party or Patriot in their names received more scrutiny over their applications for tax-exempt status. The revelations plunged the I.R.S. into a firestorm that ultimately led to the ouster of the acting I.R.S. commissioner and prompted accusations that the tax collection agency was being used as a political weapon by the Obama administration.
There is no excuse for this conduct, Mr. Sessions said in a statement. Hundreds of organizations were affected by these actions, and they deserve an apology from the IRS. We hope that today's settlement makes clear that this abuse of power will not be tolerated.
