Under Questioning, Werfel Concedes Liberal Groups Received Less IRS Scrutiny Than Conservative Groups

So much for that

The acting head of the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday that no evidence has emerged that liberal groups came under the same kind of extra scrutiny as some conservative groups when the agency assessed their applications for tax-exempt status.

An initial report on the IRS targeting scandal made public this week by Daniel Werfel, the IRS principal deputy commissioner, led to the disclosure that IRS workers flagged liberal groups as well as conservative groups in trying to determine if applicants were eligible for the tax-exempt status available to social welfare organizations.

Under tough questioning Thursday at a congressional hearing, Werfel acknowledged that no evidence so far showed liberal groups faced the same kind of delays and questioning that some conservative groups faced.