American Center for Law and Justice Threaten To Take IRS To Court Over Tea Party Intimidation

As my partner noted here, the IRS has targeted Tea Party organizations by requesting information that is outside legitimate inquiry. The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) says IRS requests for information about the groups included "probing questions" that violate the free speech and freedom of association rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and it is taking the IRS to court.

Jay Sekulow, ACLJ's chief counsel and a frequent guest on FoxNews stated; "These organizations have followed the law and applied for tax exempt status for their activities as Americans have done for decades. The problem here is the IRS has gone beyond legitimate inquiries and is demanding that these organizations answer questions that actually violate the First Amendment rights of our clients."

He added further; "This intimidation campaign is as onerous as what the IRS did to the NAACP in the 1950's and is simply unacceptable. We will aggressively defend our clients and are prepared to take the IRS to court if necessary,"

It's a safe bet Sekulow knows what he is talking about. He began his career as as a trial lawyer with the Office of the Chief Counsel of the IRS.