Really – IRS chief: Inappropriate screening was broad.
“There was a wide-ranging set of categories and cases that spanned a broad spectrum” on the lists, Werfel said. He added that his aides found those lists contained “inappropriate criteria that was in use.”
Werfel’s comments suggest the IRS may have been targeting groups other than tea party and other conservative organizations for tough examinations to see if they qualify. The agency has been under fire since last month for targeting those groups.
His comments also indicate that the use of inappropriate terms on such lists lasted longer than has been revealed previously. A report last month by a Treasury Department inspector general said agency officials abolished targeting of conservative groups with those lists in May 2012.
But don’t worry, everyone and no one is to blame….
“We have not found evidence of intentional wrongdoing by anyone in the IRS or involvement in these matters by anyone outside the IRS,” he told reporters.
Gross incompetence then? Let’s throw a bone to the Obama administration while we’re at it.
Also the suggestion that other groups have been targeted, including those with Progressive and Occupy in their names (see link) is a little hard to swallow. I have no doubt these groups would speak up. I have heard of one or two, are their voices simply being drowned out? Hard to believe.
