Revelation IRS singled out Tea Party [WTNH.com]

Article as it appeared on WTNH.com

Published : Thursday, 16 May 2013, 6:43 PM EDT
Mark Davis

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)– President Obama has named a new acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. It follows the revelation that the federal tax agency improperly ‘singled-out’ conservative groups, like the ‘Tea Party’ for special scrutiny.

This rally at the State Capitol four years ago just after the national financial crisis was the high water mark for Tea Party activism in Connecticut.

There have been rallies since but never this big.

Fegus Cullen is Executive Director of the only conservative think tank in Connecticut, he believes that the IRS scandal will help to rejuvenate the Tea Party movement in Connecticut.

“I do think that the ‘Tea Party’ wave may have crested but this certainly gives it a little push again and I think that gives them a lot more credibility. You know; a lot of them really feel the government has been ‘out to get them’ and it turns out that maybe they were right,” said Cullen.

Republican State Senator Joe Markley is the only ‘Tea Party’ candidate in the legislature.

“Nobody has complained about being harassed themselves that I’m aware of, but I think everybody is alarmed and disturbed by the idea,” said Markley.

But Markley believes that the IRS scandal only serves to reinforce some ‘Tea Party’ views.

“There was a hostility towards the movement that left people, I think, expecting something like this might happen. It confirms the worse fears that people had,” said Markley.

In Washington; Republicans are now linking the IRS scandal to the implementation of Obamacare. They say the IRS cannot be trusted to administer the tax breaks and credits included in the health care overhaul.

The latest coming up on World News at 6:30.