The IRS targeting of conservative groups: In 2013, it was revealed that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had targeted conservative groups for additional scrutiny during the application process for tax-exempt status. This caused a significant uproar among conservatives, who saw it as an attack on their right to free speech and political activity.
And this one, despite the claims by the various groups and Republicans, was not actually true. The IRS was checking all the new 501(c)3 tax-exempt political organizations, to ensure they actually should be tax-exempt; regardless of if the groups were Conservative or Liberal. What made it somewhat seem that was was the abnormally large number of new conservative groups, since many of the Tea-Party groups had just created local organizations.
The prosecution of Dinesh D'Souza: In 2014, conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza was prosecuted by the DOJ for campaign finance violations. Many conservatives saw this as a politically motivated prosecution, as D'Souza had made several films critical of the Obama administration.
That may be the way they saw it, but he was indicted by a Grand Jury and convicted by a different jury; because he had broken campaign finance laws.
The targeting of Trump associates: During the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, several Trump associates were targeted by the DOJ, including Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, and Roger Stone. Many conservatives saw this as an attempt to undermine the Trump presidency and delegitimize his victory.
And, as pointed out above, because they had broken laws -- in fact, it is interesting that most pled guilty (to include Michael Flynn, until he decided he didn't want to anymore).
The Targeting of Conservatives on Social Media: In 2021, many conservatives accused social media platforms of censoring their speech and suppressing conservative viewpoints. While some of these claims were debunked, others raised concerns about the power of Big Tech to shape public discourse.
If you were being honest, you'd admit this started before 2021 while Trump was President. Social Media, like Christian Forums, has the right to determine their own standards of conduct and what they will and will not allow.
The Targeting of Conservative Organizations: In 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation into the tax-exempt status of several conservative organizations, including Turning Point USA and the American Conservative Union. Many conservatives saw this as an attempt to intimidate and silence their political activity.
I might have missed it, but I didn't see any actual IRS investigation (though there were calls by some who thought they should be). Though, as a reminder, "political activity" -- as you talk about -- is not tax-exempt; which may be why they were investigated. Again, this is likely due diligence by the IRS to ensure that new "political" tax-exempt organizations are following the law to not engage in politics.
The Prosecution of Conservative Activists: In 2021, the DOJ prosecuted several conservative activists, including Steve Bannon and Roger Stone, for various offenses. Many conservatives saw this as an attempt to target and discredit opponents of the Biden administration.
Interesting you want to claim Stone was persecuted, when there was solid evidence of threatening a witness (and other charges) that he was convicted for. It's also interesting is there is evidence of Bannon stealing money from Conservatives, those that contributed to the Build the Wall group that Bannon helped oversee, yet he is being "persecuted." You would think Conservatives would want Bannon to stand trial to see if the evidence is enough for a conviction. Granted, I'm sure they will want him let off if he is found Not Guilty but you'd think they'd at least want to know the evidence -- since money conservatives' donated was stolen.
These are just a few examples of instances where American conservatives have been targeted by the government since 2021.
And none really stand up to any type of scrutiny.
