Not a smidgeon of corruption, eh?
IRS chief: No ‘targeting’ of tea party groups, just ‘inappropriate criteria’ — WaPo
“The Inspector General found inappropriate criteria were used to select organizations for further review – he did not refer to it as targeting.”
“Yes, inappropriate criteria were used. I don’t think I used the word target, but I do acknowledge that applications were delayed unnecessarily and for too long.”
“I have never said there was targeting.”
–IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, congressional testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, March 25, 2014
What’s in a phrase?
House Republicans who have investigated the IRS’s handling of applications of conservative groups’ seeking tax-exempt status have referred to the practice as “targeting.” So have news organizations, including The Washington Post.
But the Obama administration has preferred a more bureaucratic phrase – that “inappropriate criteria” were used to decide which organizations needed extra scrutiny. That would be words like “tea party.”
This effort at spin control took an odd turn recently when, during a congressional hearing, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen denied that the Treasury inspector general had used the term “targeting.” At another point in the hearing, Koskinen said that he had “never” used the phrase either.
What did the IG say and when did he say it?
The Facts
The May 2013 report by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Russell George is titled “Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review.” In the report, he states that, in response to concerns expressed by members of Congress, an investigation was launched:
“The overall objective of this audit was to determine whether allegations were founded that the IRS: 1) targeted specific groups applying for tax‑exempt status, 2) delayed processing of targeted groups’ applications, and 3) requested unnecessary information from targeted groups.”
What did the inspector general conclude? “The IRS used inappropriate criteria that identified for review Tea Party and other organizations applying for tax‑exempt status based upon their names or policy positions instead of indications of potential political campaign intervention,” the report said.
Skipping to the conclusion:
We understand the public relations concern about acknowledging that the IRS engaged in targeting of conservative groups. But the cat’s out of the bag, given an official IRS report has used the phrase and both George and Koskinen have used it in public testimony.
The IG’s report was carefully written but at this point, it is silly and counterproductive for Koskinen to fall back on bureaucratese – or even deny the phrase “targeting” had been used. While perhaps technically correct in terms of the report, this is a slender reed to hide behind. After all, George publicly said that all three allegations of “targeting” were proven, and that “inappropriate criteria” was the equivalent of “targeting.” That demonstrates that “inappropriate criteria” is simply a euphemism. Accept that means “targeting,” and move on.
Three Pinocchios
