The Texas Patriots Tea Party (TPTP) has called out the IRS for continuing its practice of targeting conservative groups. In a move which Edward Greim, the lawyer representing the TPTP, called “unprecedented,” the IRS publicly released tax filing information on the TPTP. Greim has challenged that this move by the IRS may have violated section 6103 of the tax code, which prohibits the sharing of information from taxpayers’ returns. (Memo to The New York Times re: Trump’s returns.) However, some tax experts say that the IRS may be on safe ground, since the filing was made part of a court case. The IRS also sent a new round of probing questions that it’s requiring the TPTP to fully complete within 30 days or be in danger of having the application derailed. The TPTP applied for tax-exemption 41 months ago.

What is becoming more apparent is the fact that the IRS is committed to continue its practice of delaying the processing of conservative groups’ applications. And why would anyone expect the IRS to change its ways, since no one at the IRS was held accountable for its illegal targeting of conservative groups? Unless those who did such things at the IRS face consequences, we can expect little change. Remorseless apologies without discipline and real change amount to nothing more than political pandering and obfuscating.