MOBILE, Ala. - The Common Sense Campaign, a Mobile-based Tea Party group, has joined a federal lawsuit against the IRS, according to organizers.
The campaign was one of 16 Tea Party groups added June 25 to a lawsuit filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, which claims the IRS violated constitutional law by targeting conservative organizations for their political beliefs.
The ACLJ filed its initial lawsuit May 25 on behalf of 25 groups including the Wetumpka Tea Party. Both the Common Sense Campaign and the Wetumpka Tea Party told AL.com that they were singled out by the IRS over their applications for tax-exempt status.
Pete Riehm, co-founder of the Common Sense Campaign, said the aim of the lawsuit is to prevent the IRS from future abuses.
"Our objectives are to identify the abuses at the IRS, understand the scope of abuses, root out all the contributing factors, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure the IRS never again has the capability to undermine the Constitution and oppress the rights of American citizens," Riehm said.
Riehm referred specific questions about the lawsuit to ACLJ, a Washington-based law firm that represents 41 tea party organizations in 22 states.
ACLJ chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, said the amended complaint was necessary because "the floodgates opened" after the firm filed its initial lawsuit.
“We have been contacted by many additional organizations that have been unlawfully targeted by the IRS — revealing that this unconstitutional scheme was pervasive and damaging," Sekulow said.
Of the 41 groups included in the lawsuit, 19 received tax-exempt status after lengthy delays, 17 are still pending, and 5 withdrew applications because of frustration with the IRS process.
White House officials have said that while the additional scrutiny was inappropriate it was not partisan and therefore no laws were broken.
Sekulow said he was confident the American public will eventually learn the truth of who exactly ordered that conservative groups be targeted — and to what extent the Obama administration knew of the targeting.
“How could the White House counsel and White House chief of staff know about this tactic, but the president did not? We remain dedicated to ensuring that those responsible for this unconscionable scheme are held accountable,” Mr. Sekulow said.
The ACLJ’s amended complaint states: IRS agents “working in offices from California to Washington, D.C., pulled applications from conservative organizations, delaying processing those applications for sometimes well over a year, then made probing and unconstitutional requests for additional information that often required applicants to disclose, among other things, donor lists, direct and indirect communications with members of legislative bodies, Internet passwords and user names, copies of social media and other Internet postings, and even the political and charitable activities of family members.”
Click here to read a copy of the amended lawsuit.
SOURCE http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/second_alabama_tea_party_group.html
The campaign was one of 16 Tea Party groups added June 25 to a lawsuit filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, which claims the IRS violated constitutional law by targeting conservative organizations for their political beliefs.
The ACLJ filed its initial lawsuit May 25 on behalf of 25 groups including the Wetumpka Tea Party. Both the Common Sense Campaign and the Wetumpka Tea Party told AL.com that they were singled out by the IRS over their applications for tax-exempt status.
Pete Riehm, co-founder of the Common Sense Campaign, said the aim of the lawsuit is to prevent the IRS from future abuses.
"Our objectives are to identify the abuses at the IRS, understand the scope of abuses, root out all the contributing factors, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure the IRS never again has the capability to undermine the Constitution and oppress the rights of American citizens," Riehm said.
Riehm referred specific questions about the lawsuit to ACLJ, a Washington-based law firm that represents 41 tea party organizations in 22 states.
ACLJ chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, said the amended complaint was necessary because "the floodgates opened" after the firm filed its initial lawsuit.
“We have been contacted by many additional organizations that have been unlawfully targeted by the IRS — revealing that this unconstitutional scheme was pervasive and damaging," Sekulow said.
Of the 41 groups included in the lawsuit, 19 received tax-exempt status after lengthy delays, 17 are still pending, and 5 withdrew applications because of frustration with the IRS process.
White House officials have said that while the additional scrutiny was inappropriate it was not partisan and therefore no laws were broken.
Sekulow said he was confident the American public will eventually learn the truth of who exactly ordered that conservative groups be targeted — and to what extent the Obama administration knew of the targeting.
“How could the White House counsel and White House chief of staff know about this tactic, but the president did not? We remain dedicated to ensuring that those responsible for this unconscionable scheme are held accountable,” Mr. Sekulow said.
The ACLJ’s amended complaint states: IRS agents “working in offices from California to Washington, D.C., pulled applications from conservative organizations, delaying processing those applications for sometimes well over a year, then made probing and unconstitutional requests for additional information that often required applicants to disclose, among other things, donor lists, direct and indirect communications with members of legislative bodies, Internet passwords and user names, copies of social media and other Internet postings, and even the political and charitable activities of family members.”
Click here to read a copy of the amended lawsuit.
SOURCE http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/second_alabama_tea_party_group.html
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