IRS chief counsel involved in targeting conservative groups

A 48-year employee of the IRS in DC, Carter Hull, testified to Congress Friday that the IRS chief counsel was involved in targeting tea party groups. Th chief counsel is a political appointee of President Obama.

From the beginning low-level workers in the Cincinatti office have been blames. No more. Orders came from the top.

Peggy Noonan in Wall Street Journal

Now comes Mr. Hull's testimony. And like Ms. Hofacre, he pointed his finger upward. Mr. Hull—a 48-year IRS veteran and an expert on tax exemption law—told investigators that tea-party applications under his review were sent upstairs within the Washington office, at the direction of Lois Lerner.

In April 2010, Hull was assigned to scrutinize certain tea-party applications. He requested more information from the groups. After he received responses, he felt he knew enough to determine whether the applications should be approved or denied.

But his recommendations were not carried out.

Michael Seto, head of Mr. Hull's unit, also spoke to investigators. He told them Lois Lerner made an unusual decision: Tea-party applications would undergo additional scrutiny—a multilayered review.

Mr. Hull told House investigators that at some point in the winter of 2010-11, Ms. Lerner's senior adviser, whose name is withheld in the publicly released partial interview transcript, told him the applications would require further review:

Q: "Did [the senior adviser to Ms. Lerner] indicate to you whether she agreed with your recommendations?"

A: "She did not say whether she agreed or not. She said it should go to chief counsel."

Q: "The IRS chief counsel?"

A: "The IRS chief counsel."

The IRS has a lot of data on you. What if Obama doesn't like your politics? What if he likes them today but changes his mind tomorrow?

This is very bad.