Posted on 06/24/2014 12:16:11 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Two years after activists for same-sex marriage obtained the confidential tax return and donor list of a national group opposed to redefining marriage, the Internal Revenue Service has admitted wrongdoing and agreed to settle the resulting lawsuit.
The Daily Signal has learned that, under a consent judgment today, the IRS agreed to pay $50,000 in damages to the National Organization for Marriage as a result of the unlawful release of the confidential information to a gay rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, that is NOM’s chief political rival.
“Congress made the disclosure of confidential tax return information a serious matter for a reason,” NOM Chairman John D. Eastman told The Daily Signal. “We’re delighted that the IRS has now been held accountable for the illegal disclosure of our list of major donors from our tax return.”
The Daily Signal is seeking comment on the settlement from the IRS and Justice Department.
In his order entered this morning, District Judge James C. Cacheris granted the settlement of NOM’s suit against the IRS, which was represented by the Department of Justice.
In February 2012, the Human Rights Campaign posted on its web site NOM’s 2008 tax return and the names and contact information of the marriage group’s major donors, including soon-to-be Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. That information then was published by the Huffington Post and other liberal-leaning news sites.
HRC’s president at the time, Joe Solmonese, was tapped that same month as a national co-chairman of President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
Eastman said an investigation in the civil lawsuit determined that someone gave NOM’s tax return and list of major donors to Boston-based gay rights activist Matthew Meisel. Email correspondence from Meisel revealed that he told a colleague of “a conduit” to obtain the marriage group’s confidential information.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...
It doesn’t matter what the amount is if it’s the IRS paying it, since in that case it’s me and you paying it.
Any settlement that doesn’t come from those person who caused the leak is a joke.
And guess where the $50K is coming from.
Not a smidgen of corruption in the IRS. Now they will just fine some innocent taxpayer to shakedown for their fine.
RE: Pennies. It should be $5 million.
Does the National Association for Marriage have to declare this fine as INCOME?
I had to check and see if this was a John Semmons satire....sheesh...what a cluster you know what....
EVERYONE who is working should make sure they are to the max on their tax deductions.....take it to 9 (NINE) dependents...just make sure you save for the actual bill later...
First off 50k is nothing since its against the institution. If this were a business the fine would be far far more. But how about the culprit? Whomever gave out the info should be payiong the fine and doing some time as well. The IRS should be paying in the millions for lack of oversight.
$50,000 is chump change they spend that much on a party.
Oops - looks like someone just found a smidgen.
Yeah, who did it? They violated disclosure laws. They should be on the way to the cross bar hotel.
Exactly! It should be forfeited by the perps responsible from their bank account, or garnish their pay / pension like the IRS would do to us if we had a bill with them. Put a lien on their property, evict their family, their extended family - use the exact same standards against them personally.
I’ve got news for you: the IRS isn’t paying $50,000.
We are.
Should have been required to name who did it publicly.
So......in essence the taxpayers paid for the IRS fine - they basically “fined themselves” for something they DIDN’T DO!!
Do IRS officials ever lose pension money, salaries, their jobs?......
ONLY ONE SOLUTION TO THIS DEMOCRAT-RUN INTIMIDATION SCHEME: GET RID OF THE IRS .. Let’s start a conversation about what we can do instead of this continual mess. In today’s climate, it’s impossible to get people who are not able to distance themselves from how they vote.
We CANNOT ALLOW this CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE to continue.
Will the IRS tax that?
What do they care? It’s not their money. Heads should roll.
They won't even care then. They've got plenty of sacrificial lambs to take the fall for them.
Agreed. But nothing would steam the Gaystapo like their nemesis getting well-funded from this fiasco, which the Gaystapo was complicit in, be sure of that.
Paying $50,000 of OUR money for GE$TAPO over-reach? Any of these unaccountable bureaucrats (socialists) going to jail? Getting fired? Can we confiscate their assets?
Individuals broke the law, so when are they going to prison?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.