Jonathan Chait insists conservatives are inventing 'imaginary' abuses of power by Dems (like the IRS targeting scandal)

New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait is taking a bold strategy when it comes to inconvenient realities for Democrats: Pretend they never happened and claim conservatives are making up stories:

Good example of how conservatives invent imaginary abuses by Democrats, which they use to justify their own authoritarianism: https://t.co/ztJeLTEJtf pic.twitter.com/hmwdeRgOkQ

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) April 29, 2022

Conservatives charged Obama sicced the IRS on Tea Party groups. First their investigation found Obama and the WH had no role in the IRS's treatment of non-profits at all…

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) April 29, 2022

Then an investigation found the IRS was also looking into abuses by progressive non-profits. There was no Obama targeting, there was no targeting at all. https://t.co/B8PJVyHmNS

— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) April 29, 2022

The thread goes on, but you get the gist. But first somebody should alert the “Mary Poppins of disinformation”:

I’d like to report a “misinformation” to the DHS Ministry of Truth. https://t.co/8Njh14ppfE

— Grant Bosse (@grantbosse) April 30, 2022

As we recall, there was nothing “imaginary” about the IRS targeting scandal.

This entire thread is full of half truths. https://t.co/pooHcGFfgS

— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) April 30, 2022

Recommended

Don Lemon Has ‘President Musk’ Narrative Thrown Back in His Face by Man on the Street

Warren Squire

Advertisement

Here is the full reading of the scandal, including the final note… The IRS selling a civil case payment millions to Tea Party groups.https://t.co/y8k0KpkJX7

— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) April 30, 2022

The chef's kiss? That the LEFT CAN'T ADMIT THIS TARGETING HAPPENED.https://t.co/hr1sVFZIqo

— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) April 30, 2022

And of course it depends on what your definition of “imaginary abuse of power” is because if that was the case the IRS was in on it:

the irs literally admitted to targeting conservative groups in 2017. https://t.co/nVuRtphUsT https://t.co/GQLpPieKac pic.twitter.com/TZABeSDtp3

— kaitlin (@thefactualprep) April 30, 2022

Jonathan is really invested in trying to memory hole that the IRS targeted conservative Tea Party groups. https://t.co/dZIsysS1A1 pic.twitter.com/7ZoBla6zQu

— Extremely Careless (@Shanghaibeast) April 30, 2022

If we could harness the power of this level of gaslighting America’s energy problems would be solved.

https://twitter.com/njhochman/status/1520137341746225154

This was the “imaginary” abuse of power in question:

In a legal settlement that still awaits a federal judge’s approval, the IRS “expresses its sincere apology” for mistreating a conservative organization called Linchpins of Liberty — along with 40 other conservative groups — in their applications for tax-exempt status.

And in a second case, NorCal Tea Party Patriots and 427 other groups suing the IRS also reached a “substantial financial settlement” with the government.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the two settlements Thursday. The Justice Department quoted him as saying of the IRS activity: “There is no excuse for this conduct. Hundreds of organizations were affected by these actions, and they deserve an apology from the IRS. We hope that today’s settlement makes clear that this abuse of power will not be tolerated.”

The abuse of power was so “imaginary” that it was right there in the DOJ’s statement.

https://twitter.com/CzarsBurnerAcct/status/1520406076054806528

This is another example of how stupid the left thinks people are. This moron is trying to gaslight the people. The IRS admitted they targeted conservatives and even apologized for doing it. Lois Lerner was even brought to the IRS by Obama to do the abuse. https://t.co/SOSa6pVXtD

— Muad'Dib (@_L8nite3) April 30, 2022

Hope the Disinformation Office investigates this tweet. Conservative groups won in court and collected money from the government for this well-documented Obama-era abuse that MSM disinformation like Chait’s tweet here swept under the rug. https://t.co/ZdQCFRcPtH

— (((tedfrank))) (@tedfrank) April 30, 2022

The Biden DHS’s “Disinformation Governance Board” will no doubt do its best to join Chait in attempting to convince everybody that thing that clearly happened never took place.

Thankfully the ministry of truth will get right on this I’m sure.

— SlingshotPeriwinkle (@White_Shadow81) April 30, 2022

And if they do get right on it they’ll certainly back Chait’s version of non-events.

***

Related:

‘The pivot begins’! NY Mag’s Jonathan Chait has found a Republican worse than Trump (just guess)