Conservative group says IRS approved non-profit status after applying with ‘liberal-sounding name’

[dkf]

Eight months passed without word from the agency about the group's application, Ryun said. In February 2012, Ryun's attorney contacted the IRS to ask if it needed more information to secure its non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization. According to Ryun, the IRS told him that the application was being processed by the agency's office in Cincinnati, Ohio—the same one currently facing scrutiny for targeting conservative groups—and to check back in two months.

As directed, Ryun followed up with the IRS in April 2012, and was told that Media Trackers' application was still under review.

When September 2012 arrived with still no word from the IRS, Ryun determined that Media Trackers would likely never obtain standalone non-profit status, and he tried a new approach: He applied for permanent non-profit status for a separate group called Greenhouse Solutions, a pre-existing organization that was reaching the end of its determination period.

The IRS approved Greenhouse Solutions' request for permanent non-profit status in three weeks.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/conservative-activist-green-name-gets-irs-stamp-approval-193457897.html

[DonViejo]

1. This means nothing at all...

no right wing group was denied the certification but, liberal/progressive orgs were.

[EC]

2. He got approved the second time not because it was a liberal sounding name

but because it was a continuing status (only to permanent instead of temp) not a brand new application. This is a non issue in this case. Maybe the IRS should just hand over all the approvals of these 501c's to the FBI or Secret Service or some investigative branch instead of themselves.

[dkf]

8. But the problem is if they are going by title, not by what they do.

If you are able to squeeze by using these techniques that can't be good either.

That's like screening job applicants based on the sound of their name.

[EC]

9. huh?

It wasn't by the sound of the name...the pac had already been approved for temporary use. The name he chose that was not getting approved as fast as he would have liked wasn't even right wing sounding and was a new app. On edit: Media Trackers even sounds more lefty then right wing anyway, so this is all bull...remember the site Media Whores? that was a left wing site.

[dkf]

10. Using a shell name is also an end run around scrutiny.

[EC]

14. Oh, yeah

I thought that it was already one of his pacs - not a shell. Never mind...

[CJCRANE]

3. "Greenhouse Solutions, a pre-existing organization

that was reaching the end of its determination period".

I don't know the ins and outs of the process but if the organization was "pre-existing" that implies it already had a track record which could be checked thus speeding things up.

[Cali_Democrat]

4. "Conservative group says"

Lie.

[Blue_Tires]

13. +1

[ProSense]

5. "Conservative group says

...global warming is a hoax!

...Obama is a Muslim!

OK, seriously:

"Conservative group says IRS approved non-profit status after applying with ‘liberal-sounding name’"

This is proof the IRS approved a conservative group.

[FSogol]

6. LOL: Yahoo Blogs

[hrmjustin]

7. I don't take anything a "conservative group" says too seriously.

[emulatorloo]

11. Horseshit. Consider the source n/t

[NoGOPZone]

12. which one, yours? nt

[Hugabear]

15. Ha!

Glad I'm not the only one who thought that