IRS Target List Included Groups Critical of Obama on Benghazi

While the IRS was targeting the Tea Party and other domestically-focused conservatives, they were allegedly targeting foreign policy groups like Secure America Now (SAN) as well.

At the time that they were “singled out for special scrutiny the [IRS],” SAN was promoting U.S. national security in Libya, Israel, Iran, and North Korea.

According to The Wall Street Journal, whereas most groups that apply for a 501(c)(4) tax exempt status get it quickly–usually within a year–SAN’s application has been held up twice. And the application approval for some groups has been held up for three years.

It appears SAN caught the IRS’s attention by releasing a video critical of the way Obama handled Benghazi. And as the group expanded its ad campaign leading up to the 2012 presidential election, the IRS pressure intensified proportionally. 

An IRS internal investigation has determined that SAN and similar groups were “unlawfully targeted” and “should now be given their tax exemption.” However, the IRS refuses to do so with SAN.