Money in Politics

Is This Big Tea Party Group Really an Innocent Victim of the IRS?

The tax agency may have had good reason to scrutinize Tea Party Patriots—including a formal complaint I filed in 2011.

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| Wed May. 22, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
Former IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman

Former IRS Chief: "I Certainly Am Not Personally Responsible" for Tea Party Scandal

A contentious Senate hearing Tuesday made clear that the fallout could extend to campaign finance rules.

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| Tue May. 21, 2013 11:55 AM PDT

White House Learned of IRS Tea Party Probe Early—But Didn't Tell Obama

There's still no evidence that Obama or his top aides knew about the investigation during last year's election.

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| Tue May. 21, 2013 6:48 AM PDT

The Michele Bachmann Campaign Probe, Explained

Why the FBI and other investigators are taking a closer look at the Minnesota rep's ill-fated 2012 presidential run.

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| Tue May. 21, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

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Mark Zuckerberg, Charles Koch, and Sheldon Adelson

Billionaires Now Own American Politics

Dark money is already shaping the 2016 race as motivated megadonors handpick the candidates and the issues.

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| Mon May. 20, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

IRS Speaks Out: We Messed Up, But We Would've Scrutinized Tea Partiers Anyway

Here's the agency's most detailed response to the tea party debacle.

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| Thu May. 16, 2013 5:50 PM PDT
tea party washington monument

Actually, Tea Party Groups Gave the IRS Lots of Good Reasons to Be Interested

IRS profiling was a fiasco. Yet, some tea party groups have left a trail of fiscal problems and possible tax-code abuse.

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| Fri May. 17, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

How Congress Helped Create the IRS-Tea Party Mess

Lawmakers could clear up the confusing rules for dark money groups. But do they really want to?

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| Fri May. 17, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

IRS Head Forced Out After Tea Party Scandal

Steven Miller wasn't in charge when the agency—then run by a Bush appointee—targeted conservative groups, but he took the fall nonetheless.

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| Wed May. 15, 2013 3:43 PM PDT

5 Things You Need to Know in the Inspector General's IRS Tea Party Scandal Report

How and why IRS staffers subjected conservative nonprofits to special scrutiny.

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| Wed May. 15, 2013 7:14 AM PDT

Ex-IRS Director: Tea Party Groups Deserved Scrutiny, But IRS Bungled the Job

Marcus Owens, who used to run the IRS division now rocked by scandal, weighs in.

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| Wed May. 15, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Attorney General Eric Holder Orders Investigation of IRS

The AG says the Justice Department and FBI will determine if the IRS broke the law by targeting conservative political groups for added scrutiny.

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| Tue May. 14, 2013 12:08 PM PDT

Did the Acting IRS Commissioner Mislead Congress?

A House subcommittee is set to investigate.

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| Tue May. 14, 2013 9:41 AM PDT

The IRS Tea Party Scandal, Explained

It's Washington's new outrage. What exactly happened and who is responsible?

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| Tue May. 14, 2013 3:00 AM PDT

Electric Car Guru Elon Musk Ditches Mark Zuckerberg's FWD.us Group

The fallout from FWD.us' pro-drilling and Keystone ads continues.

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| Sun May. 12, 2013 11:17 AM PDT
IRS audit

Finally, a Real Scandal for Conservatives to Chew On

Conservatives have been complaining for a while that the IRS singled out tea party groups for audits, and it turns out they were right.

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| Fri May. 10, 2013 9:37 AM PDT

Koch-Linked Women's Group Takes Credit for Mark Sanford's Win

The Independent Women's Voice said it wouldn't spend "any money" influencing elections. Then it did.

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| Wed May. 8, 2013 12:57 PM PDT

Mark Zuckerberg's Dark-Money Group Is Ticking Off Progressives

Liberals are steaming mad over new ads by FWD.us, the political group cofounded by Zuckerberg, that give cover to moderate lawmakers.

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| Tue May. 7, 2013 7:23 AM PDT
Mark Follman

Mark Follman on "Inside Story": The Power of the NRA

Who does the NRA really represent, grassroots gun owners or gun manufacturers?

Mon May. 6, 2013 1:01 PM PDT

Inside the Democracy Alliance, the Liberal Answer to the Koch Donor Network

Charles and David Koch aren't the only ones getting rich people together to divvy up their millions.

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| Mon May. 6, 2013 10:47 AM PDT