More than four years later, IRS finally approves tax-exempt applications of two conservative groups

Brett T. | 6:12 PM on October 16, 2014

Even if we didn’t have proof that Lois Lerner and the IRS had deliberately targeted conservative non-profit groups whose names included words like “Tea Party” and “patriots,” this could just been seen as another example of big government inefficiency and incompetence. Thing is, we know that conservative groups’ applications were held up through several election cycles to keep them from influencing the vote.

American Center for Law and Justice attorney Miles Terry writes today that two more conservative groups have had their tax-exempt applications approved — after a more than four-year delay.

Terry writes:

Laurens County Tea Party and Allen Area Patriots both applied for tax-exemption in July of 2010. It took the IRS more than four years to review their applications and approve these groups.

Of our 41 clients, 28 have now been approved, and seven groups are still awaiting approval. One of these seven groups, Albuquerque Tea Party is less than two months away from “celebrating” five years since they originally applied for tax-exemption. To date, they have still not been approved.

C’mon, IRS. Get it together.

The fact that it took the Administration FOUR YEARS to approve this group's tax status is shameful. http://t.co/RKlQEG5Yeq

— Rep. Jeff Duncan (@RepJeffDuncan) October 16, 2014