Judicial Watch: IRS Officials Targeted Groups Based on 'Guilt by Association'

The Internal Revenue Service allegedly targeted conservative groups based on "guilt by association" and "party affiliation," according to newly obtained documents by Judicial Watch.

Included in those documents were handwritten notes from "four Chief Counsel employees (Victoria Judson, Janine Cook, Susan Brown, and Don Spellmann), Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division employee Nalee Park, and former IRS employee Sarah Hall Ingram."

"Holly — Cinci paralyzed by letting any issue go unaddressed," reads one note said to be from IRS Director of the Office of Rulings and Agreement Holly Paz.

"They think they know what the org is really doing, rather than looking at actual activities. Q's were not activity based, but guilt by association questions — like q's asking party affiliations . . .

"They see approval of something that will turn out to be very bad org — terrified of that — that's why they personally will need to have power to say yes. Agents felt if they could ask enough questions, they will find a problem. Agents were jumping to negative conclusions and assumptions — particularly where relationship with political groups or affiliations."

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the documents "further [confirm] the IRS knew about abuses years before they were exposed. President-[elect Donald] Trump needs to reopen the criminal investigation of the IRS as soon as he is sworn into office."

Recently, a federal judge in Ohio ruled that a lawsuit filed against the IRS for targeting conservative groups has "a likelihood of success on the merits," according to CNS News.

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