Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wrote a letter asking officials to answer questions designed to discover if the IRS auditing Breitbart News is politically motivated, as the company executives suggest. Breitbart News Network LLC is a conservative-leaning press outlet that covers political news that are critical of the Obama administration’s policies, including breaking the story about the border crisis.
“In another time, under another Administration, the decision to audit a conservative news organization might not have risen to a worrisome level of concern, “Sen. Cruz said. “However, given the IRS’s disturbing track record of illegally targeting conservative organizations-including the IRS recently paying a $50,000 settlement for having wrongfully leaked a conservative group’s confidential tax information-and the persistent refusal by the current Department of Justice to meaningfully investigate or prosecute those crimes, the decision to audit Breitbart News Network, LLC appears highly questionable.”
Breitbart News Network, a California-based company, says the IRS recently audited its 2012 financial information. The IRS asked the news outlet to provide them with all of its organizational documents, financial records, W-2s, W-4s, 1099s, and K-1s filed, as well as personal income tax returns for each member of the company, payroll tax forms, information regarding properties and assets acquired by the company, bank statements, and array of other records documenting revenues, expenses, and depreciation costs.
“The Obama administration’s timing on this is exquisite, but try as they might through various methods to silence us, we will only get more emboldened,” Stephen K. Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News Network, said in a written statement Tuesday.
The IRS did provide a statement when requested from PPD, but offered little by way of details as to why they are subjecting Breitbart News to such unorthodox treatment.
“Federal privacy laws prohibit the IRS from commenting on specific taxpayer situations,” the IRS statement reads. “The IRS stresses that audits are based on the information related to tax returns and the underlying tax law — nothing else. Audits are handled by career, non-partisan civil servants, and the IRS has safeguards in place to protect the exam process.”
Sen. Cruz isn’t buying that excuse and cites past abuses of power and targeting of Tea Party and conservative groups.
“For the IRS to behave like a partisan political organization, targeting media organizations whose views differ from the President’s, would represent a gross abuse of power,” he wrote. “It would undermine the statutory mission and integrity of the IRS. And it would likely subject IRS employees to criminal prosecution.”
“I very much hope that is not the case.”
FULL LIST OF QUESTIONS IN CRUZ LETTER TO IRS
How many other news organizations have been audited since President Obama has been in office?
How many of them could be identified as conservative- or liberal-leaning?
Have any other news organization been subjected to this sort of far-reaching and oppressive inquiry, including requesting the personal tax records of editors and reporters?
At what point does the IRS decide to take action to audit a news outlet?
Does the IRS worry that its extremely burdensome auditing process could effectively silence the press?
Previously, Senator Durbin wrote the IRS asking that it examine the tax-exempt status of Crossroads GPS, a Republican organization that spends money electing Republicans. Did the IRS ever receive any communications from any elected official asking it to examine Breitbart News Network, LLC?
Who, precisely, is responsible for making the decision to audit Breitbart News Network, LLC?
Doug White / September 10, 2014
A) The IRS has absolutely NO history of illegally targeting conservative organizations. There is only a history of accusations from right-wing pundits. Zero proof. None. Zilch. Nada.
B) Breitbart has no reason to worry about an audit if they have done nothing wrong. What are they hiding? Are they funneling money to terror organizations (wow this thing of making unproven allegations is more fun than I thought…)
C) Ted Cruz is the biggest political clown we have seen in this country since McCarthy. He couldn’t get elected dog catcher outside of Texas. The fact that he is questioning the IRS in this case makes me completely sure that what they are doing is OK, as he has never been truthful about anything in his entire career.
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Richard Baris / September 10, 2014
Are you serious? Because if you are, then there is little to save you and not worth a whole lot of reaction. Republicans, Democrats, independents, all — by majority — aren’t brainwashed into thinking the gov’t persecution of Americans — no matter the political party — is okay. Please read more of the publication and perhaps you will change your mind. That is, of course, if you are capable of actually learning. “God gave man reason so that He may know that they understand he exists, and justice is supreme” — Mahatma Gandhi
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