Editorial: Friends of Abe has no friends at IRS

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People for the American Way, founded in 1981 by television producer Norman Lear, makes no secret that it is an advocate of a “wide variety of liberal causes.” The nonprofit’s 501 tax-exempt status has never been challenged by the Internal Revenue Service.

It’s a different story for Friends of Abe, a right-leaning Hollywood group whose membership includes actors Gary Sinise, Jon Voight and Kelsey Grammer. The nonprofit’s application for tax-exempt status has been “under review” by President Obama’s IRS for two years.

The Los Angeles Times reported last week that the federal tax authorities presented Friends of Abe (as in Abraham Lincoln) with a 10-point demand for detailed information about its meetings with various conservative political figures.

That follows a previous IRS demand that Friends of Abe give its enforcers enhanced access to its security-protected website, enabling the feds to identify the group’s members.

The agency’s demands on the Hollywood nonprofit raise renewed suspicion that the IRS continues to target conservative groups for extra scrutiny when they apply for tax-exempt status; continues to hold right-leaning groups like Friends of Abe to a different standard than unabashed liberal groups like People for the American Way.

Indeed, while the IRS asked Friends of Abe about various forums in which it hosted conservative speakers, it has not similarly questioned People for the American Way about events it hosted for liberal politicians like House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

And we highly doubt the IRS has demanded People for the American Way’s membership list, information not typically sought, according to tax experts consulted by the Times.

We suspect that Friends of Abe is the victim of a political double standard. But neither we, nor the American people, can know for sure because the IRS is supposedly prohibited from commenting on specific cases, as an agency spokesman said last week.

Well, the Friends of Abe case rises to the level that it warrants comment from IRS Commissioner John Koskinen or, at least, the chief of the tax-exempt and government entities division.

And since neither Mr. Koskinen nor any other IRS official will voluntarily address themselves to the targeting of Friends of Abe, we suggest a congressional inquiry by the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, who represents parts of south Orange County.