IRS Made List of 'Propaganda' Groups

Remember the IRS scandal? USA Today obtained the list of 162 groups whose 501(c)(4) nonprofit applications got singled out for extra scrutiny. The IRS looked at organization literature, focusing on groups that contained “anti-Obama rhetoric,” “emotional” language, and “propaganda.” More than 80 percent of the organizations on the 2011 list were conservative, but at least 11 liberal groups were flagged as well. Tax law experts say the list was the result of IRS employees trying to navigate murky rules distinguishing between social-welfare groups and political activists, while conservatives believe they were targeted for their beliefs.