Obama Administration Stonewalls Release of 500 IRS Tea Party Targeting Documents

The Obama administration, which lauds itself as “the most transparent administration in the modern era,” has refused to release over 500 IRS Tea Party targeting documents.

The Hill newspaper reported on Tuesday that its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was denied by the administration. Specifically, The Hill says it “sought emails from former IRS official Lois Lerner and Treasury officials, including Secretary Jack Lew, while the inspector general was working on its explosive May 2013 report that the IRS used ‘inappropriate criteria’ to review the political activities of tax-exempt groups.”

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) told the newspaper it could not release the documents “when interference with the law enforcement proceedings can be reasonably expected.” Yet as The Hill notes, no such prosecution is underway, and the Obama Justice Department and the FBI have both said they will not file charges.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) says it’s just more of the same from the Obama White House.

“It’s par for the course,” said Jordan. “We’ve had a difficult time getting information from the IRS and the Department of Justice.”