From Judicial Watch:
New Revelations in Obama IRS Scandal
This week we revealed to the public more about the IRS’ historic abuse of power. We released 294 pages of FBI documents showing that top IRS officials in Washington, including Lois Lerner and Holly Paz, knew that the agency was specifically targeting “Tea Party” and other conservative organizations two full years before disclosing it to Congress and the public.
Lerner was director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Unit and Paz was the IRS Acting Director of Rulings and Agreements.
These so-called “302” documents – detailed narratives of FBI investigative interviews – fully confirm a report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) in 2013 that said, “Senior IRS officials knew that agents were targeting conservative groups for special scrutiny as early as 2011.” Unsurprisingly, the Obama Justice Department and FBI “investigation” into the Obama IRS scandal resulted in no criminal charges.
Lerner did not reveal the targeting until May 2013 in response to a planted question at an American Bar Association conference. The new documents show that then-acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller actually wrote Lerner’s response that falsely blamed the scandal on IRS low-level employees in Cincinnati: “They used names like Tea Party or Patriots and they selected cases simply because the applications had those names in the title. That was wrong, that was absolutely incorrect, insensitive, and inappropriate.”
The FBI documents also reveal that IRS officials stated that the agency was targeting conservative groups in the summer of 2011 because of their ideology and political affiliation. According to one senior tax law specialist, “The case seemed to be pulled because of the applicant’s political affiliation and screening is not supposed to occur that way … [Redacted] said he thought the cases were being pulled based upon political affiliations.” And IRS senior official Nancy Marks, appointed by Miller to conduct an internal investigation stated, “Cincinnati was categorizing cases based on name and ideology, not just activity.”
We obtained these documents through a federal court order in our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit (Judicial Watch v Department of Justice (No. 1:14-cv-01239)).
According to the FBI documents, Paz and others were informed in the late spring and summer of 2011 that Cincinnati agents were using “BOLO” (Be On the Look Out) briefing guides that instructed them to be “looking at cases using the Tea Party term.” The IRS failed to reveal such targeting until the ABA conference in May 2013:
•The FBI reports that in its interview with an unidentified IRS Senior Tax Law Specialist:
She read how the case was screened and it was not because of the organization’s activity. The case seemed to be pulled because of the applicant’s political affiliation and screening is not supposed to occur that way. She wanted to alert the managers about the way the cases were being pulled … [Redacted] said he thought the cases were being pulled based upon political affiliations. [Redacted] then went to tell [Redacted] said he would follow up on the issue and would let HOLLY PAZ know this was possibly occurring. This occurred in the mid to late March or April 2011 timeframe.
The cases were labeled as Tea Party cases. The screening sheets said the two cases were pulled because of the names and political affiliations.
•The FBI reports that in its interview with an unidentified IRS Technical Advisor who reported directly to Lerner:
[Redacted] attended a meeting in the summer of 2011. She was not invited, but she was talking to LERNER about something else in the office when LERNER mentioned that it would be interesting for her to attend … Only people from Washington, D.C. were in the room, to include HOLLY PAZ … At the meeting, it was disclosed that one of the ways Cincinnati was looking for cases was using the “Tea Party” term. They were calling the body of cases involving political activity “Tea Party” cases. The concern was that the IRS had put a label on the cases that would be problematic.
•The FBI reports that in its interview with an unidentified IRS Acting Manager of Exempt Organizations Technical(EOT):
In his meeting concerning the briefing in mid-June [2011] [Redacted] met with EOT and EOG [Exempt Organizations Group] staffs and PAZ…. They showed PAZ the briefing paper and the use of the Tea Party term. PAZ was the highest-ranking person at the meeting. Somebody said they may not want to use Tea Party as a labeling term. [Redacted] had recognized they may not want to use the term Tea Party when they were doing the briefing paper, but his plan was to raise the issue with PAZ at the briefing. He does not recall PAZ’s reaction.
According to a ten-page section of the documents containing FBI interviews with IRS Senior Technical Advisor Nancy Marks, in the spring of 2012, Miller asked Marks to “look into how these 501 (c)(4) cases were being handled and find out what the problems were.” After investigations in Washington and Cincinnati, Marks reported the following to Miller in May 2012, according to the FBI:
It was not until much later that MARKS saw information that [Redacted] was only looking for Tea Party cases…. The BOLO showed that at various points the criteria called for “Tea Party” name, and then later the ideology…. She told him [Miller, on May 3, 2012] that Cincinnati was categorizing cases based on name and ideology, not just activity. When MARKS told MILLER this, he threw his pencil across the room and said, “Oh shit.”
The FBI documents also reveal that the FBI investigated why Holly Paz sat in on numerous Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) interviews with lower level IRS employees and if her presence improperly influenced the employees’ responses to investigators’ questions. The documents repeatedly state, “Other than the auditors, the only person present during the [Redacted] interview was HOLLY PAZ.”
The documents contain two separate lengthy FBI interviews with Lois Lerner, the first in June 2013 and the second in October 2013. Both interviews came after Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination before the House Oversight Committee in May 2013. By answering questions under oath in her FBI interviews, Lerner seemed to undermine her earlier Fifth Amendment-based refusal to testify to Congress, since witnesses generally cannot invoke the right in one instance and not another. The House voted to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress for her refusal to testify.
And the FBI 302 documents also contain an interview in which Miller reveals that former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman very likely misled Congress in his March 22, 2012, testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee when he said, “There is absolutely no targeting.” According to the FBI report on the Miller interview, “In February or March, MILLER talked to SHULMAN about the development letters.” The “development letters” were letters sent by the IRS primarily to targeted conservative groups seeking what the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) later termed “inappropriate” information about websites and donors.
These documents show that the Obama FBI and Justice Department had plenty of evidence suggesting illegal targeting, perjury, and obstruction of justice. Both the FBI and Justice Department collaborated with the Lois Lerner and the IRS to try to prosecute and jail Barack Obama’s political opponents. These documents show the resulting compromised investigation looked the other way when it came to Obama’s IRS criminality.
Stay tuned, as we will receive more IRS scandal documents next week.
Showing posts with label political persecution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political persecution. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Tell the FEC to leave the internet alone
From the Tea Party:
Liberal allies of Barack Obama on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) are attempting to regulate political speech on and off the Internet, and to restrict our constitutionally protected freedoms. We have a short window of time to stop it!
Under current FEC guidelines (from a unanimous, 6-0 decision in 2006), political advertising or commentary posted on YouTube is exempt from campaign reporting requirements. Democrat FEC Vice Chair Ann Ravel apparently finds this unacceptable, and speaks unfavorably of “this effort to protect individual bloggers and online commentators.”
As if free speech is unworthy of protection!
If Ms. Ravel has her way, any video you post of your own political commentary will fall under the scrutiny of the federal government.
After six years of Obama Administration overreach and encroachment into our personal freedoms, none of us should be surprised. What’s important, though, is that we stop their latest assault on our Bill of Rights.
If you think outlets like YouTube and the broader Internet should be free from federal government control, you must join me in standing up and being heard–NOW.
But it isn't just YouTube that the FEC is going after. Obama's FEC is engaging in the same kind of political repression that we have seen over the past few years with the IRS targeting. The new proposed rules will limit individuals' rights to associate and to form political organizations. The broader implication of this FEC rule would be a total crackdown on non-profit organizations that exist to petition the government on a variety of issues.
We have the ability to tell FEC Chair Ann Ravel and her Obama Administration friends HANDS OFF the Internet and HANDS OFF our precious, Constitutionally protected freedom of speech. We must do this, and urge others to as well:
Make an official comment against any new government intrusion by clicking here before January 15. Note, you’ll need to leave your full name and postal address for your comment to count. It takes a few minutes, but believe me, it’s worth it. Speech-stifling power grabs such as this get shut down all the time, but only when WE SPEAK OUT AND REGISTER OUR COMMENTS.
Again submit your comment and then spread the word. The comment period ends January 15, so act now well before the deadline so that we can start putting points on the board right away!
Liberal allies of Barack Obama on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) are attempting to regulate political speech on and off the Internet, and to restrict our constitutionally protected freedoms. We have a short window of time to stop it!
Under current FEC guidelines (from a unanimous, 6-0 decision in 2006), political advertising or commentary posted on YouTube is exempt from campaign reporting requirements. Democrat FEC Vice Chair Ann Ravel apparently finds this unacceptable, and speaks unfavorably of “this effort to protect individual bloggers and online commentators.”
As if free speech is unworthy of protection!
If Ms. Ravel has her way, any video you post of your own political commentary will fall under the scrutiny of the federal government.
After six years of Obama Administration overreach and encroachment into our personal freedoms, none of us should be surprised. What’s important, though, is that we stop their latest assault on our Bill of Rights.
If you think outlets like YouTube and the broader Internet should be free from federal government control, you must join me in standing up and being heard–NOW.
But it isn't just YouTube that the FEC is going after. Obama's FEC is engaging in the same kind of political repression that we have seen over the past few years with the IRS targeting. The new proposed rules will limit individuals' rights to associate and to form political organizations. The broader implication of this FEC rule would be a total crackdown on non-profit organizations that exist to petition the government on a variety of issues.
We have the ability to tell FEC Chair Ann Ravel and her Obama Administration friends HANDS OFF the Internet and HANDS OFF our precious, Constitutionally protected freedom of speech. We must do this, and urge others to as well:
Make an official comment against any new government intrusion by clicking here before January 15. Note, you’ll need to leave your full name and postal address for your comment to count. It takes a few minutes, but believe me, it’s worth it. Speech-stifling power grabs such as this get shut down all the time, but only when WE SPEAK OUT AND REGISTER OUR COMMENTS.
Again submit your comment and then spread the word. The comment period ends January 15, so act now well before the deadline so that we can start putting points on the board right away!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
IRS battle
From Campaign For Liberty:
The Supporter Ballots we have so far received regarding whether we should pay the IRS’ fine and disclose our top donors’ names or continue to refuse to do so have been tallied up, and I am pleased to report that out of the responses, the overwhelming majority (97%) say fight on!
As we are still receiving new ballots on a daily basis, I’m confident we’ll see an even higher level of support for standing firm. This support is crucial since we could be in for a long battle.
Obviously, losing this battle would have a negative effect on Campaign for Liberty, but it would also have repercussions for the entire liberty movement.
If we lose, it will set a precedent that could, and almost certainly will, be used against other pro-liberty organizations.
The effect, if not the purpose, of such attacks will be to protect the establishment while stopping the significant progress groups like Campaign for Liberty are making in defending and promoting liberty.
Ultimately, the result will be that no one will be able to substantially support an organization devoted to mobilizing grassroots opposition to the administration in power without having their names divulged to the IRS.
We have already seen at least one case where a list of donors to a political cause were leaked to that cause’s opponents.
And history shows that the IRS has a long history of targeting the political opponents of whatever party currently occupies the White House.
Background
Scholar Burton Folsom’s book New Deal or Raw Deal documents how IRS agents in the 1930s served as “hit squads” against opponents of the New Deal. In the 1960s, both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson used the IRS to silence their critics.
While most people think of the Watergate burglary when they recall the scandals that led to Richard Nixon’s downfall, a much more significant abuse of power was his use of the IRS to harass his political enemies. (One of the articles of impeachment drawn up against President Nixon dealt with this.)
During the 1990s, groups that opposed the Clinton administration's agenda were subjected to IRS audits. An IRS agent even told the head of one of these groups, “What do you expect when you challenge the President?”
Of course, few IRS agents are as blatant as that one, nor do they need to be to stifle opposition, as the attacks themselves send a message not only to the organizations but to grassroots liberty activists. The IRS also does not need to demand the names of every 501(c)(4) organizations’ major donors or subject those donors to audits or other harassments.
Just knowing that this can happen and oftentimes does can be enough to chill Americans’ willingness to actively engage in the public process by supporting groups like Campaign for Liberty.
So it’s obvious that using the IRS as a weapon against the political opponents of the incumbent administration is not anything new, with the current administration appearing to just be following in this shameful establishment tradition.
Recent examples include the news that 10% of the donors to certain “Tea Party” organizations were subjected to audits.
There is also a suspiciously high correlation between being a large donor to Mitt Romney and being audited by the IRS, just the latest in a long history of those who oppose the agenda of the administration in power finding themselves “coincidently” subject to IRS audits.
Of course, the most blatant abuse of IRS power is the delay and targeting of Tea Party and other pro-liberty groups seeking tax-exempt status.
Despite the administration’s continued stonewalling, resulting in the congressional resolution holding former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt, new evidence continues to come forward that the targeting was, if not directly ordered, at least encouraged by the IRS’ Washington, D.C. office as well as at least one prominent Democrat Senator.
Court Precedent
Several federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have upheld the right of organizations such as Campaign for Liberty to protect their donors’ confidentiality.
The primary example is the Supreme Court case NAACP v. Alabama, where the Supreme Court decided that the state of Alabama’s demand that the NAACP release a list of its members violated the NAACP’s First Amendment rights.
Writing for the majority, Justice John Marshall Harlan stated, “This Court has recognized the vital relationship between freedom to associate and privacy in one’s associations . . . Compelled disclosure of membership in an organization engaged in advocacy of particular beliefs is of the same order. Inviolability of privacy in group association may in many circumstances be indispensable to preservation of freedom of association, particularly where a group espouses dissident beliefs.”
Again, this is only one of several cases upholding the right of groups like Campaign for Liberty to refuse to comply with government orders that they divulge the names of their donors. Thus, we appear to be on solid legal ground in our refusal to comply with the IRS’ request.
However, fighting this in court will take a lot of resources.
The IRS has an inexhaustible supply of resources, so if this went to court, they would be able to drag out the case as long as desired, requiring Campaign for Liberty to undercut our crucial legislative efforts.
Legislative Outlook and Conclusion
With Audit the Fed having once again gained a majority of members of the House of Representatives as cosponsors, there is no reason why House leadership should not hold a vote on this legislation.
Yet House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor will need all the “encouragement” we can muster to schedule a clean vote.
And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has yet to reverse his refusal to allow a full Senate roll call vote on the legislation, meaning we will need to not only ramp up our campaign to persuade House and Senate leadership to hold a vote on Audit the Fed but also sustain that intense amount of pressure.
Last year’s revelations of the extent of the National Security Agency’s wiretapping on the American people provide us with our best opportunity since the passage of the “PATRIOT” Act to rein in the surveillance state.
However, as I write this, House leadership is preparing to pass phony “reform” that does not go nearly far enough. If this legislation gets through the House and Senate and is signed by President Obama, politicians will use it to claim they do not need to pass legislation regarding the NSA because they already addressed it. Preventing the passage of a phony NSA “reform” bill will require us to keep the heat on Congress.
And while we have so far been successful in stopping progress on the National Internet Tax Mandate in the House, the representatives who are carrying water for the special interests and revenue-hungry governors have not given up.
In fact, one of the representatives working on a House version of the mandate recently revealed their plan when he said that the legislative calendar “resets” after November.
So the forces in favor of increasing government control over the Internet are planning a push to ram this bill into law during the lame-duck session of Congress, when representatives and many senators are safe from the voters’ wrath for another two years.
We need to be prepared to thwart this attempt, and if it does come during the lame-duck session, even more resources will be required, as it’s harder to reach and mobilize opposition during the busy holiday season.
Like the National Internet Tax Mandate, there are indications that House leadership is determined to bring legislation creating a new biometric ID card, tied to a national database, to the House floor in November - under the guise of so-called “immigration reform.”
So far, we’ve been successful in halting this legislation, but it could gain considerable post-election momentum.
These are just some of the offensive and defensive battles Campaign for Liberty must continue dealing with in upcoming months.
If we are forced to divert significant resources to the battle with the IRS, we could lose our best chance to pass Audit the Fed, begin reining in the NSA, stop the National Internet Tax Mandate, and prevent the National ID system from passing into law.
If we lose any of these battles because of stopping the IRS attack, the statists will have gained a big victory — even if we eventually win any legal battle with the IRS.
Winning any potential legal battle with the IRS while pushing ahead on our legislative agenda will require raising enough resources to stay active on multiple fronts simultaneously.
But the outpouring of support from our members and other grassroots activists has been incredible and encouraging, and I believe Campaign for Liberty’s commitment to making 2014 a landmark year for liberty can stay strong with their continued help.
To Sign Petition and Donate
The Supporter Ballots we have so far received regarding whether we should pay the IRS’ fine and disclose our top donors’ names or continue to refuse to do so have been tallied up, and I am pleased to report that out of the responses, the overwhelming majority (97%) say fight on!
As we are still receiving new ballots on a daily basis, I’m confident we’ll see an even higher level of support for standing firm. This support is crucial since we could be in for a long battle.
Obviously, losing this battle would have a negative effect on Campaign for Liberty, but it would also have repercussions for the entire liberty movement.
If we lose, it will set a precedent that could, and almost certainly will, be used against other pro-liberty organizations.
The effect, if not the purpose, of such attacks will be to protect the establishment while stopping the significant progress groups like Campaign for Liberty are making in defending and promoting liberty.
Ultimately, the result will be that no one will be able to substantially support an organization devoted to mobilizing grassroots opposition to the administration in power without having their names divulged to the IRS.
We have already seen at least one case where a list of donors to a political cause were leaked to that cause’s opponents.
And history shows that the IRS has a long history of targeting the political opponents of whatever party currently occupies the White House.
Background
Scholar Burton Folsom’s book New Deal or Raw Deal documents how IRS agents in the 1930s served as “hit squads” against opponents of the New Deal. In the 1960s, both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson used the IRS to silence their critics.
While most people think of the Watergate burglary when they recall the scandals that led to Richard Nixon’s downfall, a much more significant abuse of power was his use of the IRS to harass his political enemies. (One of the articles of impeachment drawn up against President Nixon dealt with this.)
During the 1990s, groups that opposed the Clinton administration's agenda were subjected to IRS audits. An IRS agent even told the head of one of these groups, “What do you expect when you challenge the President?”
Of course, few IRS agents are as blatant as that one, nor do they need to be to stifle opposition, as the attacks themselves send a message not only to the organizations but to grassroots liberty activists. The IRS also does not need to demand the names of every 501(c)(4) organizations’ major donors or subject those donors to audits or other harassments.
Just knowing that this can happen and oftentimes does can be enough to chill Americans’ willingness to actively engage in the public process by supporting groups like Campaign for Liberty.
So it’s obvious that using the IRS as a weapon against the political opponents of the incumbent administration is not anything new, with the current administration appearing to just be following in this shameful establishment tradition.
Recent examples include the news that 10% of the donors to certain “Tea Party” organizations were subjected to audits.
There is also a suspiciously high correlation between being a large donor to Mitt Romney and being audited by the IRS, just the latest in a long history of those who oppose the agenda of the administration in power finding themselves “coincidently” subject to IRS audits.
Of course, the most blatant abuse of IRS power is the delay and targeting of Tea Party and other pro-liberty groups seeking tax-exempt status.
Despite the administration’s continued stonewalling, resulting in the congressional resolution holding former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt, new evidence continues to come forward that the targeting was, if not directly ordered, at least encouraged by the IRS’ Washington, D.C. office as well as at least one prominent Democrat Senator.
Court Precedent
Several federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have upheld the right of organizations such as Campaign for Liberty to protect their donors’ confidentiality.
The primary example is the Supreme Court case NAACP v. Alabama, where the Supreme Court decided that the state of Alabama’s demand that the NAACP release a list of its members violated the NAACP’s First Amendment rights.
Writing for the majority, Justice John Marshall Harlan stated, “This Court has recognized the vital relationship between freedom to associate and privacy in one’s associations . . . Compelled disclosure of membership in an organization engaged in advocacy of particular beliefs is of the same order. Inviolability of privacy in group association may in many circumstances be indispensable to preservation of freedom of association, particularly where a group espouses dissident beliefs.”
Again, this is only one of several cases upholding the right of groups like Campaign for Liberty to refuse to comply with government orders that they divulge the names of their donors. Thus, we appear to be on solid legal ground in our refusal to comply with the IRS’ request.
However, fighting this in court will take a lot of resources.
The IRS has an inexhaustible supply of resources, so if this went to court, they would be able to drag out the case as long as desired, requiring Campaign for Liberty to undercut our crucial legislative efforts.
Legislative Outlook and Conclusion
With Audit the Fed having once again gained a majority of members of the House of Representatives as cosponsors, there is no reason why House leadership should not hold a vote on this legislation.
Yet House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor will need all the “encouragement” we can muster to schedule a clean vote.
And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has yet to reverse his refusal to allow a full Senate roll call vote on the legislation, meaning we will need to not only ramp up our campaign to persuade House and Senate leadership to hold a vote on Audit the Fed but also sustain that intense amount of pressure.
Last year’s revelations of the extent of the National Security Agency’s wiretapping on the American people provide us with our best opportunity since the passage of the “PATRIOT” Act to rein in the surveillance state.
However, as I write this, House leadership is preparing to pass phony “reform” that does not go nearly far enough. If this legislation gets through the House and Senate and is signed by President Obama, politicians will use it to claim they do not need to pass legislation regarding the NSA because they already addressed it. Preventing the passage of a phony NSA “reform” bill will require us to keep the heat on Congress.
And while we have so far been successful in stopping progress on the National Internet Tax Mandate in the House, the representatives who are carrying water for the special interests and revenue-hungry governors have not given up.
In fact, one of the representatives working on a House version of the mandate recently revealed their plan when he said that the legislative calendar “resets” after November.
So the forces in favor of increasing government control over the Internet are planning a push to ram this bill into law during the lame-duck session of Congress, when representatives and many senators are safe from the voters’ wrath for another two years.
We need to be prepared to thwart this attempt, and if it does come during the lame-duck session, even more resources will be required, as it’s harder to reach and mobilize opposition during the busy holiday season.
Like the National Internet Tax Mandate, there are indications that House leadership is determined to bring legislation creating a new biometric ID card, tied to a national database, to the House floor in November - under the guise of so-called “immigration reform.”
So far, we’ve been successful in halting this legislation, but it could gain considerable post-election momentum.
These are just some of the offensive and defensive battles Campaign for Liberty must continue dealing with in upcoming months.
If we are forced to divert significant resources to the battle with the IRS, we could lose our best chance to pass Audit the Fed, begin reining in the NSA, stop the National Internet Tax Mandate, and prevent the National ID system from passing into law.
If we lose any of these battles because of stopping the IRS attack, the statists will have gained a big victory — even if we eventually win any legal battle with the IRS.
Winning any potential legal battle with the IRS while pushing ahead on our legislative agenda will require raising enough resources to stay active on multiple fronts simultaneously.
But the outpouring of support from our members and other grassroots activists has been incredible and encouraging, and I believe Campaign for Liberty’s commitment to making 2014 a landmark year for liberty can stay strong with their continued help.
To Sign Petition and Donate
Thursday, May 15, 2014
IRS persecutes Campaign For Liberty
From Campaign For Liberty:
The IRS recently fined Campaign for Liberty nearly $13,000 - with daily penalties - for refusing to hand over information about our top donors.
As you'll see in Dr. Paul's letter below, C4L is determined to fight back.
But before we engage in an expensive legal fight with Obama's IRS, Dr. Paul, John Tate, and our staff need to hear from as many members and supporters like you as possible.
So if you haven't yet filled out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot, please do so right away.
If you've already filled out your ballot, please forward this email to anyone - and everyone - you know.
A decision has to be made soon. So please fill out your Supporter Ballot IMMEDIATELY - or forward it on - if you haven't already.
In Liberty,
Norm Singleton
Vice President of Policy
Campaign for Liberty
This is one of the toughest letters I’ve ever had to send.
For years, people have joked that the three most feared letters in the English language may well be these . . .
I – R – S.
But today, I’m not laughing.
Recently, the IRS handed Campaign for Liberty a hefty fine and DEMANDED we turn over sensitive contributor information.
If we don’t comply with the IRS’ outrageous demand for sensitive donor information, I’m afraid we’ll face additional fines that could cripple Campaign for Liberty and perhaps even force us to shut our doors.
But, I’m not naïve. I know where this is headed.
The statists at the IRS know I’ll NEVER EVER turn over confidential information about Campaign for Liberty’s donors without a fight.
Instead, this is likely just the first in a long line of UNCONSTITUTIONAL and likely ILLEGAL “excuses” this rogue government agency will use to try to shut us up and shut us down by FINING us to death.
So I have a decision to make - a critical decision that could affect Campaign for Liberty’s very survival in the months ahead.
Do I fight on? Do I risk everything? Do I tell the statist IRS to go fly a kite?
Or should Campaign for Liberty just pay up, keep our head down, and hope this never happens again?
The truth is, this issue extends beyond Campaign for Liberty and could have massive legal ramifications for ALL Americans.
If the IRS gets its way, the door could open for targeting, harassment, and intimidation for anyone who believes in liberty and limited government and takes a stand.
Campaign for Liberty is prepared to lead this fight.
But I need you to tell me what to do today.
In just a second, I’m going to give you a link to a Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot.
As you’ll see, there will only be two choices on the form - the only two choices I’m faced with today.
But before you decide, please let me explain everything that’s at stake . . .
As I mentioned, what the IRS wants is contributor information on Campaign for Liberty’s top donors, pointing to a rarely enforced and unconstitutional bureaucratic rule.
You see, as a 501(c)(4) organization under IRS law, all Campaign for Liberty contributor information is supposed to be confidential.
This is a critical protection I wholeheartedly support.
Privacy and liberty go hand-in-hand.
In fact, when Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense in 1776, he did so anonymously.
Forcing organizations like Campaign for Liberty to publicize donor information would have an incredibly chilling effect on political speech.
Many liberty-loving Americans would silence themselves for fear of becoming targets of political “retribution.”
And after the Obama IRS was caught red-handed targeting pro-limited government groups for harassment and intimidation, these fears could not be more well-founded.
So there’s no way I would ever just hand this kind of information over to these government bureaucrats. That’s not an option.
So when we filed annual reports with the IRS as required by law, we left this information off.
The IRS now claims that’s the reason we’re being fined!
But the truth is, years ago, after the NAACP complied with IRS demands and promptly saw their donor information publicized, the IRS has only occasionally sought to “enforce” their ridiculous rule.
Won’t you please fill out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot right away?
The real reason they’re coming after Campaign for Liberty I’m afraid is something far more sinister.
After all, there’s no denying our Liberty Movement is growing.
Only a few years ago, you and I were barely a “blip” on the political screen.
But there’s no denying things have changed, when you consider:
***Today, we see a growing crop of new Liberty Movement supporters like Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the U.S. Senate;
***In the U.S. House, there’s Congressmen Justin Amash (R-MI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY);
***My son, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), is now considered a frontrunner for President in 2016;
***Audit the Fed is now a top issue in American politics;
***The bipartisan National Internet Tax Mandate and the National ID database scheme were supposed to sail through Congress, but you and I have so far held them both off;
***More and more Americans now oppose radical federal government spying programs and - as we saw with Syria - are more skeptical than ever of foreign military adventurism.
Liberty-minded Americans’ efforts are at the heart of all this success.
I’m convinced these are just the beginning stages of a massive nationwide R3VOLUTION that can usher in a new era of liberty and limited government in America.
That’s why we’re being targeted.
That’s why the statists in BOTH parties want so much to shut us up and shut us down.
I’m afraid, without your support today, they could very well get their wish.
I have no doubt if these ridiculous demands made it to court, Campaign for Liberty would win, hands down.
But I’m afraid that’s not what this is about.
Campaign for Liberty is run on a shoestring budget. We don’t have millions lying around in the bank.
This is about draining us.
This is about forcing me to take resources off of other critical programs just to keep our doors open.
That’s why I want so badly to just say “NO!”
But without an IMMEDIATE influx of funds, I’m afraid we’ll be sitting ducks.
I just won’t be able to pay for everything . . .
But the alternative could be worse.
Paying this outrageous extortionist fine - just to exercise our rights as American citizens to petition our government - may even be cheaper in the short run.
But it’ll just embolden an alphabet soup of other federal agencies to come after us.
This is the price you pay for daring to stand up to a federal government that wants to keep taxing, spending, and printing every American into the poorhouse.
So what do I do?
Won’t you please fill out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot right away?
I’m asking my staff to tally up the votes, and I will proceed as C4L’s generous members and supporters tell me to.
The decision is in your hands.
But if you tell me to fight, please realize this is serious.
Any potential legal fight is going to take money - money Campaign for Liberty does not have lying around.
So I must ask you to be as generous as you possibly can.
I must ask you to please agree to an emergency gift of $100 or more.
I know that’s a lot.
But this is the IRS we’re talking about. This is not a game.
As I mentioned, this is one of the hardest letters I’ve ever had to send.
I have to ask all Campaign for Liberty supporters to go above and beyond what they’ve done in the past.
But if $100 is just too much, won’t you please agree to chip in $10 or $20?
I’m anxiously awaiting your response.
This is not something I can just put off for a later day. I need to hear from you right away.
So please fill out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot and agree to chip in whatever amount you can afford today.
For Liberty,
Ron Paul
Chairman
P.S. Recently, Campaign for Liberty received a letter fining us and DEMANDING we turn over sensitive contributor information to the IRS.
The statists’ goal is to cripple Campaign for Liberty and perhaps even force us to shut our doors.
So I need you to tell me what to do.
Below you’ll find a link to your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot. Please tell me how I should respond to this new IRS threat.
And if you possibly can, please agree to your most generous gift of $100, $50, $25, or at least $10 to help us be ready to fight back TODAY!
The IRS recently fined Campaign for Liberty nearly $13,000 - with daily penalties - for refusing to hand over information about our top donors.
As you'll see in Dr. Paul's letter below, C4L is determined to fight back.
But before we engage in an expensive legal fight with Obama's IRS, Dr. Paul, John Tate, and our staff need to hear from as many members and supporters like you as possible.
So if you haven't yet filled out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot, please do so right away.
If you've already filled out your ballot, please forward this email to anyone - and everyone - you know.
A decision has to be made soon. So please fill out your Supporter Ballot IMMEDIATELY - or forward it on - if you haven't already.
In Liberty,
Norm Singleton
Vice President of Policy
Campaign for Liberty
This is one of the toughest letters I’ve ever had to send.
For years, people have joked that the three most feared letters in the English language may well be these . . .
I – R – S.
But today, I’m not laughing.
Recently, the IRS handed Campaign for Liberty a hefty fine and DEMANDED we turn over sensitive contributor information.
If we don’t comply with the IRS’ outrageous demand for sensitive donor information, I’m afraid we’ll face additional fines that could cripple Campaign for Liberty and perhaps even force us to shut our doors.
But, I’m not naïve. I know where this is headed.
The statists at the IRS know I’ll NEVER EVER turn over confidential information about Campaign for Liberty’s donors without a fight.
Instead, this is likely just the first in a long line of UNCONSTITUTIONAL and likely ILLEGAL “excuses” this rogue government agency will use to try to shut us up and shut us down by FINING us to death.
So I have a decision to make - a critical decision that could affect Campaign for Liberty’s very survival in the months ahead.
Do I fight on? Do I risk everything? Do I tell the statist IRS to go fly a kite?
Or should Campaign for Liberty just pay up, keep our head down, and hope this never happens again?
The truth is, this issue extends beyond Campaign for Liberty and could have massive legal ramifications for ALL Americans.
If the IRS gets its way, the door could open for targeting, harassment, and intimidation for anyone who believes in liberty and limited government and takes a stand.
Campaign for Liberty is prepared to lead this fight.
But I need you to tell me what to do today.
In just a second, I’m going to give you a link to a Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot.
As you’ll see, there will only be two choices on the form - the only two choices I’m faced with today.
But before you decide, please let me explain everything that’s at stake . . .
As I mentioned, what the IRS wants is contributor information on Campaign for Liberty’s top donors, pointing to a rarely enforced and unconstitutional bureaucratic rule.
You see, as a 501(c)(4) organization under IRS law, all Campaign for Liberty contributor information is supposed to be confidential.
This is a critical protection I wholeheartedly support.
Privacy and liberty go hand-in-hand.
In fact, when Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense in 1776, he did so anonymously.
Forcing organizations like Campaign for Liberty to publicize donor information would have an incredibly chilling effect on political speech.
Many liberty-loving Americans would silence themselves for fear of becoming targets of political “retribution.”
And after the Obama IRS was caught red-handed targeting pro-limited government groups for harassment and intimidation, these fears could not be more well-founded.
So there’s no way I would ever just hand this kind of information over to these government bureaucrats. That’s not an option.
So when we filed annual reports with the IRS as required by law, we left this information off.
The IRS now claims that’s the reason we’re being fined!
But the truth is, years ago, after the NAACP complied with IRS demands and promptly saw their donor information publicized, the IRS has only occasionally sought to “enforce” their ridiculous rule.
Won’t you please fill out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot right away?
The real reason they’re coming after Campaign for Liberty I’m afraid is something far more sinister.
After all, there’s no denying our Liberty Movement is growing.
Only a few years ago, you and I were barely a “blip” on the political screen.
But there’s no denying things have changed, when you consider:
***Today, we see a growing crop of new Liberty Movement supporters like Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the U.S. Senate;
***In the U.S. House, there’s Congressmen Justin Amash (R-MI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY);
***My son, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), is now considered a frontrunner for President in 2016;
***Audit the Fed is now a top issue in American politics;
***The bipartisan National Internet Tax Mandate and the National ID database scheme were supposed to sail through Congress, but you and I have so far held them both off;
***More and more Americans now oppose radical federal government spying programs and - as we saw with Syria - are more skeptical than ever of foreign military adventurism.
Liberty-minded Americans’ efforts are at the heart of all this success.
I’m convinced these are just the beginning stages of a massive nationwide R3VOLUTION that can usher in a new era of liberty and limited government in America.
That’s why we’re being targeted.
That’s why the statists in BOTH parties want so much to shut us up and shut us down.
I’m afraid, without your support today, they could very well get their wish.
I have no doubt if these ridiculous demands made it to court, Campaign for Liberty would win, hands down.
But I’m afraid that’s not what this is about.
Campaign for Liberty is run on a shoestring budget. We don’t have millions lying around in the bank.
This is about draining us.
This is about forcing me to take resources off of other critical programs just to keep our doors open.
That’s why I want so badly to just say “NO!”
But without an IMMEDIATE influx of funds, I’m afraid we’ll be sitting ducks.
I just won’t be able to pay for everything . . .
But the alternative could be worse.
Paying this outrageous extortionist fine - just to exercise our rights as American citizens to petition our government - may even be cheaper in the short run.
But it’ll just embolden an alphabet soup of other federal agencies to come after us.
This is the price you pay for daring to stand up to a federal government that wants to keep taxing, spending, and printing every American into the poorhouse.
So what do I do?
Won’t you please fill out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot right away?
I’m asking my staff to tally up the votes, and I will proceed as C4L’s generous members and supporters tell me to.
The decision is in your hands.
But if you tell me to fight, please realize this is serious.
Any potential legal fight is going to take money - money Campaign for Liberty does not have lying around.
So I must ask you to be as generous as you possibly can.
I must ask you to please agree to an emergency gift of $100 or more.
I know that’s a lot.
But this is the IRS we’re talking about. This is not a game.
As I mentioned, this is one of the hardest letters I’ve ever had to send.
I have to ask all Campaign for Liberty supporters to go above and beyond what they’ve done in the past.
But if $100 is just too much, won’t you please agree to chip in $10 or $20?
I’m anxiously awaiting your response.
This is not something I can just put off for a later day. I need to hear from you right away.
So please fill out your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot and agree to chip in whatever amount you can afford today.
For Liberty,
Ron Paul
Chairman
P.S. Recently, Campaign for Liberty received a letter fining us and DEMANDING we turn over sensitive contributor information to the IRS.
The statists’ goal is to cripple Campaign for Liberty and perhaps even force us to shut our doors.
So I need you to tell me what to do.
Below you’ll find a link to your Campaign for Liberty Supporter Ballot. Please tell me how I should respond to this new IRS threat.
And if you possibly can, please agree to your most generous gift of $100, $50, $25, or at least $10 to help us be ready to fight back TODAY!
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