>So categorizing this as just "tea party groups" is inaccurate.

Tamar, I never said that the targeting was "purely" tea party, and trying to dismiss in that manner is faulty logic. Unfortunately, you've missed the point.

There were other conservative/libertarian groups as well that aren't necessarily affiliated with the Tea Party itself. (Though recall the TIGTA report and subsequent reports acknowledge specific Tea Party targeting). And yes, there have been a few liberal groups. Some of them were targeted years ago. I've acknowledged that the IRS targeted peace groups during the Bush administration because of their opposition to the Iraqi War.

This was a systematic targeting of groups who supported Citizens United, who opposed ACA, and who were critical of the Obama administration. There are over two dozen different significant data points. Here are just a few of the compelling pieces of information.

- Lois Lerner talked about the "power of the audit" during a speech, and hoped the FEC would "save the day" when members of the DNC came to her regarding Citizens United. A handful of Democratic Congressmen corresponded with the IRS regarding conservative/tea party groups (and that includes staff members working for Elijah Cummings, who were caught red-handed communicating with federal agencies on the group "True The Vote".) This is all documented.

- Lois Lerner takes the Fifth. The Fifth was initially created to prevent the government from railroading private citizens. How ironic she'd be taking the Fifth, given how dirty her hands were in this. I'll acknowledge that should have just given her full immunity....Issa was incompetent. The fact that Lerner was actually consulting with the DOJ over tea party/conservative groups at the same time the DOJ was deciding whether to pursue an investigation - that takes the concept of "conflict of interest" to a new level.

- IRS Chief Counsel William Wilkins physically met with the President in the Roosevelt Room, just days before issuing new BOLO instructions regarding groups (including Tea Party)

- And then there's the issue of "lost emails" and destroyed hard drives/backups. Give me a break!!!!!

- Federal judges continue to rip the administration for stalling in responding to requests for information. And since you don't like the Washington Times, I'll provide a link to that "other" Washington newspaper:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/23/obama-administrations-continuous-resistance-in-irs-targeting-case-slammed-by-federal-appeals-court/


Many times you've quoted the famous, "I didn't speak up because it didn't happen to me...and when it happened to me, there was no one to speak". What I find most amazing of all is how much you've wanted to dismiss/downplay all of this (over the last few years you've attributed this to lack of funding, bureaucracy, etc) - which makes me wonder if you're only interested in invoking that "I didn't speak up" mantra when the victims align with your views.

As much as I detest certain political groups on both sides, I don't want federal agencies EVER targeting them for political views. If this IRS issue is not severely dealt with, I guarantee that a Trump or other R leader will likely do the same thing down the road - mistaking retribution for justice. I care about government overreach and injustices, regardless of the target/victim. Unfortunately, I don't think those trying to downplay this very serious issue feel the same way.

I want you to keep in mind that groups who were targeted wound up being damaged far more that what has been publicized. For some of these groups, the targeting negatively affected their ability to drive membership and raise funds. Some had to spend money out of their own pockets on legal fees. Some disbanded. And yet in 2013 the IRS paid $70 million in bonuses (Lerner getting 42K and Commish Miller received 100K). Of course, if one's interest is in silencing these groups, then it makes sense to buy into the President's explanation of all this.