WEST SUBURBS – IRS officials were challenged in a 2013 meeting to audit tax-exempt groups so much that it would become "financially ruinous,” documents obtained and released by legal group Judicial Watch show. The person making the suggestion was Republican US Senator John McCain's staff director at the time, Henry Kerner.
Notes taken by IRS staff of that April 30, 2013 meeting with IRS head Lois Lerner show the comments in context as follows:
Henry Kerner asked how to get to the abuse of organizations claiming section 501 (c)(4) but designed to be primarily political. Lois Lerner said the system works, but not in real time. Henry Kerner noted that these organizations don’t disclose donors. Lois Lerner said that if they don’t meet the requirements, we can come in and revoke, but it doesn’t happen timely. Nan Marks said if the concern is that organizations engaging in this activity don’t disclose donors, then the system doesn’t work. Henry Kerner said that maybe the solution is to audit so many that it is financially ruinous. Nikole noted that we have budget constraints. Elise Bean suggested using the list of organizations that made independent expenditures. Lois Lerner said that it is her job to oversee it all, not just political campaign activity.
One of the Illinois-based groups the IRS chose to audit was West Suburban Patriots, co-founded by Carol Davis. Davis told Illinois Review the notes Judicial Watch discovered confirm suspicions she's had for years.
"Back in 2012 when the IRS targeting was at its peak, I did suspect that there might be many establishment Republicans who would be just as happy as the Left if the tea party just “went away," Davis said. "It’s sad to see my suspicions confirmed like this. And of course, this coming from someone so closely affiliated with John McCain is not surprising. I’m not going to pander and gush about his service to our nation—as far as I’m concerned, the damage he has done during his prolonged tenure in the Senate has negated any heroism he may have once displayed."
And for Davis, Henry Kerner remaining in a federal government position today is just as troubling. She called on President Trump to oust Kerner from the Trump Administration.
"I’m very concerned that Henry Kerner is now working in the Trump Administration. How much damage is he doing while remaining on the inside?" Davis asked. "Kerner’s now-revealed hatred of conservatives makes him completely unfit to serve in government in ANY capacity. I hope President Trump becomes aware and gets rid of this saboteur."
The details of what Judicial Watch discovered when they sued to obtain the documents is available on their website. The group says they will continue pursuing information on the Obama Administration's IRS scandal.
“The Obama IRS scandal is bipartisan – McCain and Democrats who wanted to regulate political speech lost at the Supreme Court, so they sought to use the IRS to harass innocent Americans,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The Obama IRS scandal is not over – as Judicial Watch continues to uncover smoking gun documents that raise questions about how the Obama administration weaponized the IRS, the FEC, FBI, and DOJ to target the First Amendment rights of Americans.”
The Trump Administration announced in September 2017 they had no plans to charge Lerner with IRS activities that caused numerous Tea Party affiliated groups to shutter during the feds' intensified investigations.
