Well, no wonder the right wing is all a-flutter with hate for the IRS. It seems one of their own has been smacked down hard.
When Ginni Thomas folded up her Liberty Central tent to become a lobbyist and link baiter for Tucker Carlson, she handed the reins over to Gary Aldrich at the Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty.
Aldrich, as you might recall, was the right wing lunatic and former FBI agent who claimed Hillary Clinton decorated her Christmas tree with condoms and crack pipes. And that was one of his milder statements.
USAToday reports that the IRS revoked their tax-exempt status late last year. the revocation letter is here. The IRS ruling states that says "the organization has shown a pattern of deliberate and consistent intervention in political campaigns in violation of section 501(c)(3)..."
Ginni Thomas handed Liberty Central over to the Patrick Henry Center after the 2010 midterms, saying she felt it would be best to form an alliance with Aldrich. She promised to remain engaged with the Patrick Henry Center while bouncing off to start her for-profit lobbying firm.
And engaged she stayed. In addition to Thomas' involvement, former disgraced attorney general Edwin Meese III is the Chairman of the Board. The advisory board for the Patrick Henry Center reads like a Who's Who of Reagan-era conservatives who now run the conservative wing of the Republican party. They're also all part of the Fox News Commentator Cabal. Here's the hit parade:
Mark Levin - Conservative radio host who called President Obama a serial liar on his radio show. Just before the 2012 elections, Levin called for listeners "with friends who hate Obama" to call those friends and get them out to vote.
Ron Robinson - Head of the Young America's Foundation (The Reagan youth effort) and former director of Citizens United.
Lt. Col. Oliver L. North - I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone about who he is. But if there's doubt, it was Ollie North who was flogging Benghaaaaazzzzi just before the election.
Lt. Col Robert "Buzz" Patterson, USAF Ret. - Author of Dereliction of Duty: How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security
Alan E. Sears - Head of Alliance Defending Freedom, a group that coordinated funding and movement of the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga cases through to the US Supreme Court.
Alan Dye - Lawyer for think tanks and conservative non-profits
Craig Shirley - Craig Shirley is Diana Bannister's partner. Bannister was instrumental in coordinating the Groundswell "messaging" group last year.
Beverly LaHaye - President of Concerned Women for America. In 2012, CWA endorsed candidates and currently back "divorce reform" as a way to slap back same sex marriages in states.
Howard Phillips - Former Nixon advisor Phillips died in 2013. He was responsible for much of the ultra-extreme right wing activity we see today, particularly in the areas of taxation and dismantling the social safety net. Phillips was also responsible for the formation of the Conservative Caucus, who shook their fist on the day after Obama's election and swore they would make everyone pay for re-electing Obama.
James Fotis - Executive director of Law Enforcement Alliance
of America
Peter Flaherty - President of National Legal & Policy Center, an anti-union activist organization
Edward Fleck - Former FBI agent and current Board Member, National Active & Retired Federal Employees
Lots of former FBI, conservatives, Nixonians, and more there.
The legal advisory team deserves to wear the badge of honor for their disqualification as a tax-exempt entity. Bob Barr serves on it, alongside Peyton George, formerly of the FBI. George served in J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and served as a surrogate for disgraced President Richard Nixon.
Ginni Thomas' name may not be on this list, nor is her husband's but she is still a player. After Liberty Central came under the control, she promised she wouldn't abandon the cause, and she didn't.
But it certainly sheds light on why they were so upset about the IRS. If there's any doubt about how the refs were worked here, just have a look at these guys and their relationships to other conservative "tea party" organizations who whine, and remember that the Tea Party is the Republican party, and these guys run the money side.
