IRS gets sued for punishing conservative groups while ignoring violations by leftists
Lawyer explains plaintiffs ‘just want the same standard to be applied to all’
By Bob Unruh,
The Internal Revenue Service is being sued for violating the freedom of speech, free exercise and equal treatment requirements of the U.S. Constitution against two churches and a couple of conservative nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status – while ignoring rules violations from leftist organizations.
It was, of course, during Barack Obama’s administration that the IRS was caught scheming, and acting, against conservative organizations as Obama was seeking re-election, by delaying and rejecting their applications for tax status so that they would not be able to speak about Obama’s extremist agenda during the campaign.
The result was a series of lawsuits, settlements, public admissions of misbehavior by the IRS and more scandals.
And WND reported more than a year ago that that was Lois Lerner, Part 1, when she pled the Fifth before Congress, was found in contempt and given a free pass by Obama.
That report said conservatives at that time were warning that Lois Lerner, Part 2, was coming.
It was because the IRS under Joe Biden, like the IRS under Obama, “subjected an elections nonprofit to a battery of prying questions about its policy positions, language choices and methodology for arriving at correct opinions and conclusions prior to peremptorily rejecting its application for tax-exempt status without appeal.”
The first round found the feds attacking Christians and Tea Party organizations under Obama. Eventually the federal government had to pay out millions to the groups it damaged.
The second round was triggered by Washington’s attack on a group called Adams, Baldwin, and Covey Foundation.
“Founder Phill Kline charged the IRS has demanded answers to questions like, ‘Have you held [a] particular position or view on certain issues or topics? If you do, please detail the position or views of your organization,’ and ‘Do you have any policy/policies or guidance in place to avoid unsupported opinions or conclusions and inflammatory language in the activities?'”
Kline told the feds to provide the justification for such questions, and explain whether those were being directed at other organizations, too.
Kline warned at the time it was evidence of Biden’s belief he can “license thought and speech.”
Now a report by the Epoch Times says the new lawsuit is over the IRS actions against conservatives, even while it imposes “no repercussions” on “left-leaning” publications that support Democratic political candidates “in violation of the IRS Code.”
The complaint “cites examples of nonprofit media organizations appearing to endorse President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other political figures, as well as church leaders praising Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former President Barack Obama during services while they were candidates for president.”
“Plaintiffs believe that the activity described … demonstrates ongoing, open, and obvious violations of the [law] by churches friendly to Democrat candidates,” the complaint states, according to the report. “However, plaintiffs contend that all such activity is constitutionally protected. Plaintiffs only seek the freedom to engage in similar activity.”
In 2020 Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia, was punished when its pastor told members to vote in line with the values in the Bible, and confirmed the Republican platform was closer than the Democrats.
Then a group called “Christians Engaged” was refused tax-exempt status because its teachings were “typically affiliated with the [Republican] party and candidates,” although that decision later was overruled.
But the lawsuit said there’s no evidence of any investigation, much less adverse action, against any “Democrat-affiliated nonprofit.”
The case also points out since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling all corporations organized under any section but the nonprofits’ 501(c)(3) may support or oppose candidates.
The action is pending the federal court in Texas.
“The plaintiffs in the case are the National Religious Broadcasters, Sand Springs Church, the First Baptist Church Waskom, and the Intercessors for America, a national prayer group,” the report said.
David Kallman, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said, “We are not asking the court to restrict the rights of … churches and other liberal organizations, even though they continuously violate the Johnson Amendment without repercussions from the IRS. We just want the same standard to be applied to all churches and 501(c)(3)s.”