National Organization for Marriage Representative: Yes, We Have Smoking Gun Proof the IRS Leaked Our Confidential Donor List to Our Chief Political Rival, Human Rights Campaign

You'll remember that Californians who donated to help pass Proposition 8 were boycotted.

The IRS gave NOM's chief political rival its donor list. I believe so that a similar boycott could be had.

This was, of course, illegal. And making it worse is proof of consciousness of guilt -- whoever leaked the document took pains to redact the internal stamps and markings that would show it was leaked from the IRS.

But NOM was able to go to an expert to "see under" the black bars of redaction.

But Eastman shed light on another potential controversy involving the IRS -- the unauthorized disclosure of tax document information. He recalled how information on their donors was leaked last year and published on the website of the Human Rights Campaign, which Eastman described as their "principal political opponent" on the marriage issue. The documents showed Mitt Romney's political committee as a donor.

Asked by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., if he had "proof" that the IRS leaked that material, Eastman said that he did.

Eastman explained that while some information was redacted in the posted version, his group's "forensic" specialists were able to strip layers from the document and found "the original document that was posted there had originated from within the IRS."

He said the version had "internal IRS stamps," which "only exist within the IRS."

Eastman added: "You can imagine our shock and disgust over this. ... We jealously guard our donors."

He later alleged the information was "deliberately" provided to their opponents.

"If that's inadvertent, the word no longer means anything," he said[.]

Furthermore, the IRS has "stonewalled" his demands for an investigation into the crime.

Corrected: I originally wrote "Human Rights Watch" in the headline. That's a different left-leaning organization (pro-Palestinian). The gay marriage one is "Human Rights Campaign." Thanks to @dreaboi for the correction.

posted by Ace at 01:48 PM

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