Inspector General’s Report Finds ‘Ineffective Management’ Led to ‘Inappropriate Targeting’ of Tea Party Groups

“Ineffective management” allowed officials at the IRS to target conservative groups, stalling their applications for tax-exempt status for 13 months, a much-anticipated report by the Treasury Department’s inspector general concluded.  The agency’s management did not put an end to the practice even after being instructed to do so. 

According to the report, IRS officials employed a range of criteria to flag potential cases, including the terms “tea party,” “patriots” and “9/12 Project” and the phrase “make America a better place to live.” Criticizing the government was also liable to get a group singled out. Such applicaitons were flagged, “Be on the Lookout,” indicating they required further attention. 

The report includes recommendations from the IG to the IRS, 7 out of 9 of which the IRS has concurred with. http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2013reports/201310053fr.pdf .http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2013reports/201310053fr.pdf .The full report is available here.