Tea Party Protests IRS at U.S. Capitol

Rachel Taylor / June 19, 2013

Thousands of tea party activists from across the country gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol today for a rally against the IRS’ targeting.

The Audit the IRS Rally was organized by Tea Party Patriots, a group subjected to IRS scrutiny. Chants of “Do Your Job,” signs reading “IrReSponsible,” and many “Don’t Tread on Me” flags set the tone for the afternoon rally.

Influential and inspiring speakers packed the stage during the three-hour event. Glenn Beck, Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) were in attendance. They were joined by the team from the American Center for Law and Justice, which is currently working with 25 targeted conservative groups to sue the IRS.

Cruz received a roaring applause from the audience and even stayed on stage longer than his allotted time due to the overwhelming response from the group. He said that it was wrong when the Nixon administration used the IRS to target groups and that it was equally offensive for the Obama administration to do it. Cruz shared an email address — irstarget@cruz.senate.gov — and invited anyone who may have been targeted by the IRS to contact him.

Rachel Tayor is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please click here.