NOTE TO STUDENTS: Read the “Background” and “Resources” under the questions before answering.

1. a) What is TIGTA?
b) What did the TIGTA investigation of the IRS conclude about the extra information the IRS required from conservative groups?

2. What additional information did the IRS require conservative groups to provide? Be specific; cite at least five examples.

3. When requiring additional information from conservative groups, what warning did the IRS include with these letters?

4. a) What concerns does Justin Binik-Thomas have after hearing that the IRS was questioning a tea party group about their relationship to him (when he had never worked with them)?
b) Do you think these concerns are reasonable? Explain your answer.

5. How much time did it take for the IRS to approve many of these Tea Party groups' applications?

6. The IRS and the Obama administration deny that they were aware that this was going on, and also say that targeting conservatives was not politically motivated. However, there has been no documentation of any liberal groups being harassed by the IRS the way the Tea Party and other conservative groups were.
a) What do you conclude about President Obama's knowledge of the government using its power to harass and intimidate U.S. citizens, and what do you think about his response to the scandal?
b) Do you agree with the TIGTA conclusion that the IRS “requested irrelevant (unnecessary) information because of a lack of managerial review, at all levels or do you think conservative groups were purposely targeted for harassment? Explain your answer.
c) Should the IRS head and the agents involved be fired? Explain your answer.