THE IRS IS TARGETING THE AMERICAN LEGION

It looks as though Dear Leader's Internal Revenue Stasi are up to their old tricks again.  Now they're targeting the American Legion.

The veterans' service group says it recently learned about a so-called IRS "audit manual" that requires American Legion posts to keep dates of service and member records or perhaps face a $1,000-a-day fine, according to The Daily Caller.

The American Legion was referring to a 13-part section of Part 4, Chapter 76 of the Internal Revenue Manual pertaining to "veterans' organizations."

The section falls under "Exempt Organizations Examination Guidelines," which is the jurisdiction of Exempt Organizations head Lois Lerner, who apologized for improperly targeting tea party groups and tried to plead the Fifth Amendment in a congressional hearing.

"The American Legion has recently learned of the so-called IRS 'audit manual' and is concerned that portions of it attempt to amend statutes passed by Congress and approved by the president," American Legion legal counsel Philip Onderdonk, Jr. told The Daily Caller.

"Resolutions recommending action by the Legion's legislative division on two of the most egregious sections of the IRS document are being presented for a vote by members at The American Legion's annual national convention in Houston [this] week. If the resolutions are adopted, the Legion will be empowered as a body to urge correction of the veterans service organization-related portion(s) of the IRS manual and suggest congressional review of the entire 38 section IRS document," Onderdonk said.

The American Legion was founded in 1919 by veterans returning from Europe after World War I, and was later chartered as an official American patriotic society under Title 36 of the United States Code. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and also has offices in Washington, DC. The group has nearly 3 million members in over 14,000 Posts worldwide.

In addition to organizing commemorative events and volunteer veteran support activities, the Legion's primary political activity is lobbying on behalf of the interests of veterans and service members, including support for veterans benefits such as pensions and the Veterans Affairs hospital system.

Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas sees the toxic influence of Lois Lerner at work in the targeting.

"On the heels of Americans' anger over revelations that the IRS intentionally targeted certain groups, it has been brought to my attention that the IRS is now turning their sights toward our nation's veterans,” Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran said. "The IRS seems to be auditing veteran service organizations by requiring private member military service forms."

"If a post is unable or not willing to turn over this personal information, it's possible they could face a fine of $1,000 per day," Moran continued.

"I am deeply concerned about this revelation and will insist on answers. This policy seems to be crafted with the oversight of Lois Lerner and deserves, at a minimum, a thorough look to make certain the IRS is not overstepping bounds of privacy and respect for our nation's heroes," Moran added.