IRS audited Texans for Public Justice under pressure from DeLay allies/GOP

[BurtWorm]

As if there's anything illegal about using the IRS to attack political enemies!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/26/AR2006022601227_pf.html


Texas Nonprofit Is Cleared After GOP-Prompted Audit
Group Says Probe Was 'Political Retaliation' by DeLay Allies





By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 27, 2006; A03

The Internal Revenue Service recently audited the books of a Texas nonprofit group that was critical of campaign spending by former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) after receiving a request for the audit from one of DeLay's political allies in the House.

The lawmaker, House Ways and Means Committee member Sam Johnson (R-Tex.), was in turn responding to a complaint about the group, Texans for Public Justice, from Barnaby W. Zall, a Washington lawyer close to DeLay and his fundraising apparatus, according to IRS documents.

Johnson, a member of the subcommittee responsible for oversight of the tax agency, sparked the IRS's interest by telling IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson in a letter dated Aug. 3, 2004, that he had "uncovered some disturbing information" and received complaints of possible tax violations.

Johnson said he was sure the IRS would follow up. "I ask you to report back your findings of each of these investigations directly to me," he told Everson in the letter, according to a copy obtained by The Washington Post.

[Joe for Clark]

1. That may come back up to bite him.

Barnaby W. Zall, I'll remember that name. Bet his clients will remember this, too.

The thing about the service that is always true, and correct from their perspective, is that people who turn other people in usually have something to hide. They are almost certainly going to check him out.

I think it was about five years ago, the IRS went on a tear checking out attorney client trust funds, and they did pretty well finding income, I think. They are back. To this day, you have to 1099 any attorney you did business with, corporation or not.

If he's living in a glass house he will have a bad day coming.