Upstate Mom to Testify at Hearing on IRS Misconduct

Three years ago Dianne Belsom of Laurens County was a stay-at-home mom who was concerned about the direction of the country. 

She's still a stay-at-home mom and concerned about the direction of her country, but on Tuesday she'll be testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee in Washington, DC. 

It will be Belsom's second trip to the nation's capital in less than a month, both visits as a result of her desire to be an engaged citizen. 

In July of 2010, Belsom filed paperwork with the IRS to create the Laurens County Tea Party as a 501(c)4 organization. It has yet to be approved. 

Like many other conservative groups, Belsom was questioned and asked for information by IRS staffers based in the Cincinnati, Ohio office. Belsom told Patch she was asked a series of questions she felt were unnecessary including requests to view email conversations.

"When I think about all the information I gave them it's kind of scary," Belsom said.

Belsom was not surprised when it was reported several weeks ago that agents in the IRS office in Cincinnati had targeted other conservative organizations.

She filed suit through the American Center for Law and Justice, a non-profit founded by Pat Robertson, against the IRS for its conduct in delaying her application. There are now 24 other groups taken part in the suit, including the Myrtle Beach Tea Party.

"If we had done something wrong, they could have just told us and we would have fixed it," Belsom said.

Belsom said that she studied the provisions of non-profits and social welfare organizations and knew that her group would endorse local political candidates, so the 501(c)4 was the best designation.

"It says your primary purpose cannot be federal and ours certainly wasn't," she explained. "And anyway, I feel our group is a social welfare organization. We want to help educate voters and we do town halls with candidates. We meet monthly and have a very active group.”

Belsom has watched the hearings on the IRS scandal on television. "The people who abused their power have not been held accountable. I mean, good grief, no one has even been fired," she said. "They just were transferred to another department."

Instead of watching the hearings Belsom will now take part in them. “It’s a little intimidating," she said.

In doing so, she'll miss a rally in support of the 2nd Amendment. "I don't like not being there, but this is something I have to do."

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