James Dobson tells Glenn: IRS targeted me

May 20, 2013

Writer

Prominent evangelical Christian leader James Dobson joined the radio program today and revealed the the IRS targeted one of his organizations as well. When he had been stonewalled by the IRS for months and finally called to get an update, what he was told was shocking. Dobson told shared his story with Glenn today on the radio show.

TheBlaze has more on this story HERE.

Transcript of the interview is below:

GLENN: Over the weekend Billy Hallowell from TheBlaze broke the story about Dr. James Dobson. This is some disturbing stuff. Dr. Dobson is on with us now. James, how are you, sir?

DR. DOBSON: I'm doing fine, Glenn, and thanks for having me on. This is such a critically important issue.

GLENN: Tell me, tell me what happened with you.

DR. DOBSON: Well, as you know, it's been admitted now that the IRS profiled ‑‑ that's my term for it but I think that fits ‑‑ about 300 or more conservative organizations. You referred just a minute ago to the TEA Party and the smoking gun there, but it's not limited to the TEA Party. The it's limited to evangelical organizations, conservative Christian organizations.

GLENN: Jewish organizations.

DR. DOBSON: I would imagine conservative Catholic organizations. And what they did was to harass and intimidate and delay their applications for nonprofit status, especially 501(c)(4) organizations. Billy Graham's ministries was part of it, Concerned Women for America and then, of course, the TEA Parties and who knows who else is on the 300 ‑‑ the list of 300. I can just tell you that our organization was among them. Family Talk Action applied for a 501(c)(4). We already have a (c)(3), but applied for a (c)(4) in September of 2011 and that started the process which took 19 months to come to fruition. Some of that time was spent by us answering questions, questions that I don't remember ever being asked before but our Family Talk Action attorney finally called to find out what the delay was. He couldn't get through and then on March the 19th of this year he got a call from a female agent named R. Medley and she called to tell us what the holdup was. And she said that Family Talk Action was ‑‑ and by the way, Glenn, I think we are the first one where the IRS had admitted, or at least one I know of that has admitted what was the problem with getting these approvals. She said that Family Talk Action was a partisan rightwing group because we represented only one point of view, she said that we were a political organization because we had criticized the president on occasion. And then she said that we were not an educational organization because it doesn't represent all views. Not educational, Glenn. I don't want to be self‑serving here but, you know, I have an earned Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in child development. I was a professor of pediatrics for 14 years. I've written 80 books. I've done 8,000 radio programs in 35 years, and I'm not educational. But it really all ‑‑

GLENN: Just so long as you understand that.

DR. DOBSON: It all comes down to this: Medley implied ‑‑ or this is the implication of what she was saying: That Family Talk Action was not worthy of a 501(c)(3) status, and she did say that they were probably not going to approve us and it was because we don't devote airtime that we have paid for to those that represent a different world view and opposing perspectives.

GLENN: You don't have to do that.

DR. DOBSON: And then this Ms. Medley asked our attorney if we want to do revise our application, and he said, "No. If we have to litigate, we will." And nine days later they approved our application. So that was our experience, and I'll bet it's been duplicated many, many times over.

GLENN: Did you say anything at all while you were going through this? Did you say any of this on the air?

DR. DOBSON: Say what? What the IRS had done?

GLENN: Yeah, what was going on.

DR. DOBSON: Yes. Today's program, Family Talk, and tomorrow's program. Tomorrow I'm interviewing Michele Bachmann and today I interviewed Penny Nance.

GLENN: No, but I mean ‑‑

DR. DOBSON: And they are alarmed about it too.

GLENN: During the scandal, during ‑‑ while you were waiting for it, did you ever mention that you were still waiting for the IRS?

DR. DOBSON: No. We obviously didn't want to rock the boat. We wanted to get the approval and so we didn't talk about it because ‑‑

PAT: I bet everybody was like ‑‑

GLENN: We were.

PAT: Everybody was lying that.

GLENN: We did exactly the same thing because we were doing some things as well and had some ‑‑ you know, I had an IRS audit and we ‑‑ you know, everybody said, Glenn, shut your mouth until it's over and you don't want to ‑‑ you just don't want to ‑‑ and that should tell you something. I mean, this is like Muslim extremism. You know, shut your mouth, don't say anything because they'll make it worse. I mean, that should tell you everything you need to know about the organization.

DR. DOBSON: It certainly does. And we knew. We knew what we were dealing with. We had no qualms, no questions about what the Obama administration thinks about conservative Christian organizations but, you know ‑‑

GLENN: So where was this R. Medley, how did you get roped up with her in Cincinnati (sniffing)?

DR. DOBSON: Well, our attorney called and asked for an update and he couldn't ‑‑ or he called to ask for an update and he couldn't get through. And finally she called back responding to him ‑‑

GLENN: Wait. What location was she ‑‑

DOBSON: I've never met her, I don't know her, but she called back and was amazingly candid with us.

GLENN: What location was she at? James, where was she, in what city? Do you know?

DR. DOBSON: You know, I really don't know. I assume that it was Cincinnati, but my attorney would have to answer that. I haven't been involved in any of the conversations because you let attorneys handle these things and that's what we did.

GLENN: Okay. Dr. James Dobson ‑‑

DR. DOBSON: Charles Krauthammer, a commentator on Fox News said something the other night that I thought was very telling. He said that this IRS scandal is the most damaging of all because the American people know the enormous power of the taxing authority and they're frightened by it. And, of course, chief justice John Marshall said in 1819 that the power to tax is power to destroy. So when you add to this the fact that the IRS is going to be the implementer of ObamaCare, they will know not only everything about our money, everything about our money, our salaries, everything, what we spend our money on, everything, but also know everything about our health. And you put those two things together and that is enormous power.

GLENN: Yeah. Dr. James Dobson, thank you so much and we'll talk to you again. Stay safe.

DR. DOBSON: Thank you, Glenn.

GLENN: You bet.

Insider alert: Glenn’s audience EXPOSES the riots’ dark truth

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Glenn asked for YOUR take on the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots, and YOU responded with a thunderous verdict. Your answers to our recent Glennbeck.com poll cut through the establishment’s haze, revealing a profound skepticism of their narrative.

The results are undeniable: 98% of you believe taxpayer-funded NGOs are bankrolling these riots, a bold rejection of the claim that these are grassroots protests. Meanwhile, 99% dismiss the mainstream media’s coverage as woefully inadequate—can the official story survive such resounding doubt? And 99% of you view the involvement of socialist and Islamist groups as a growing threat to national security, signaling alarm at what Glenn calls a coordinated “Color Revolution” lurking beneath the surface.

You also stand firmly with decisive action: 99% support President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to quell the chaos. These numbers defy the elite’s tired excuses and reflect a demand for truth and accountability. Are your tax dollars being weaponized to destabilize America? You’ve answered with conviction.

Your voice sends a powerful message to those who dismiss the unrest as mere “protests.” You spoke, and Glenn listened. Keep shaping the conversation at Glennbeck.com.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

EXPOSED: Your tax dollars FUND Marxist riots in LA

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Protesters wore Che shirts, waved foreign flags, and chanted Marxist slogans — but corporate media still peddles the ‘spontaneous outrage’ narrative.

I sat in front of the television this weekend, watching the glittering spectacle of corporate media do what it does best: tell me not to believe my lying eyes.

According to the polished news anchors, what I was witnessing in Los Angeles was “mostly peaceful protests.” They said it with all the earnest gravitas of someone reading a bedtime story, while behind them the streets looked like a deleted scene from “Mad Max.” Federal agents dodged concrete slabs as if it were an Olympic sport. A man in a Che Guevara crop top tried to set a police car on fire. Dumpster fires lit the night sky like some sort of postapocalyptic luau.

If you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

But sure, it was peaceful. Tear gas clouds and Molotov cocktails are apparently the incense and candles of this new civic religion.

The media expects us to play along — to nod solemnly while cities burn and to call it “activism.”

Let’s call this what it is: delusion.

Another ‘peaceful’ riot

If the Titanic “mostly floated” and the Hindenburg “mostly flew,” then yes, the latest L.A. riots are “mostly peaceful.” But history tends to care about those tiny details at the end — like icebergs and explosions.

The coverage was full of phrases like “spontaneous,” “grassroots,” and “organic,” as if these protests materialized from thin air. But many of the signs and banners looked like they’d been run off at ComradesKinkos.com — crisp print jobs with slogans promoting socialism, communism, and various anti-American regimes. Palestinian flags waved beside banners from Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador. It was like someone looted a United Nations souvenir shop and turned it into a revolution starter pack.

And guess who funded it? You did.

According to at least one report, much of this so-called spontaneous rage fest was paid for with your tax dollars. Tens of millions of dollars from the Biden administration ensured your paycheck funded Trotsky cosplayers chucking firebombs at local coffee shops.

The same aging radicals from the 1970s — now armed with tenure, pensions, and book deals — are cheering from the sidelines, waxing poetic about how burning a squad car is “liberation.” These are the same folks who once wore tie-dye and flew to help guerrilla fighters and now applaud chaos under the banner of “progress.”

This is not progress. It is not protest. It’s certainly not justice or peace.

It’s an attempt to dismantle the American system — and if you dare say that out loud, you’re labeled a bigot, a fascist, or, worst of all, someone who notices reality.

And what sparked this taxpayer-funded riot? Enforcement against illegal immigrants — many of whom, according to official arrest records, are repeat violent offenders. These are not the “dreamers” or the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These are criminals with long, violent rap sheets — allowed to remain free by a broken system that prioritizes ideology over public safety.

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This is what people are rioting over — not the mistreatment of the innocent, but the arrest of the guilty. And in California, that’s apparently a cause for outrage.

The average American, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, is supposed to worry they’ll be next. But unless you’re in the habit of assaulting people, smuggling, or firing guns into people’s homes, you probably don’t have much to fear.

Still, if you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

The left has lost it

This is what happens when a culture loses its grip on reality. We begin to call arson “art,” lawlessness “liberation,” and criminals “community members.” We burn the good and excuse the evil — all while the media insists it’s just “vibes.”

But it’s not just vibes. It’s violence, paid for by you, endorsed by your elected officials, and whitewashed by newsrooms with more concern for hair and lighting than for truth.

This isn’t activism. This is anarchism. And Democratic politicians are fueling the flame.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck's 'No King but Christ' merch: Will faith STOP the chaos?

On Saturday, June 14, 2025 (President Trump's 79th birthday), the "No Kings" protest—a noisy spectacle orchestrated by progressive heavyweights like Randi Weingarten and her union cronies—will take place in Washington, D.C.

Thousands will chant "no thrones, no crowns, no king," claiming to fend off authoritarianism and corruption.

But let’s cut through the noise. The protesters' grievances—rigged courts, deported citizens, slashed services—are a house of cards. Zero Americans have been deported, Federal services are still bloated, and if anyone is rigging the courts, it's the Left. So why rally now, especially with riots already flaring in L.A.?

Chaos isn’t a side effect here—it’s the plan.

This is not about liberty; it's a power grab dressed up as resistance. The "No Kings" crowd wants you to buy their script: government’s the enemy—unless they’re the ones running it. It's the identical script from 2020: same groups, same tactics, same goal, different name.

But Glenn is flipping the script. He's dropping a new "No Kings but Christ" merch line, just in time for the protest. Merch that proclaims one truth: no earthly ruler owns us; only Christ does. It’s a bold, faith-rooted rejection of this secular circus.

Why should you care? Because this won’t just be a rally—it’ll be a symptom. Distrust in institutions is sky-high, and rightly so, but the "No Kings" answer is a hollow shout into the void. Glenn’s merch begs the question: if you’re ditching kings, who’s really in charge? Get yours and wear the answer proudly.

Truth unleashed: 95% say media’s excuses for anti-Semitism are a LIE

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Glenn asked for YOUR take on the rising tide of anti-Semitism, and you delivered. After the Boulder attack, you made it clear: this isn’t just a news story—it’s a crisis the elites are dodging.

Your verdict is unmistakable: 96% of you see anti-Semitism as a growing threat in the U.S., brushing aside the establishment’s weak excuses. The spin does not fool you—95% say the media is deliberately downplaying the issue, hiding a cultural rot that’s all too real. And the government’s response? A whopping 95% of you call it a disgraceful failure, leaving communities exposed.

Your voices shatter the silence. Why should we trust narratives that dismiss your concerns? With 97% of you warning that anti-Semitism will surge in the years ahead, you’re demanding action and accountability. This is your stand for truth.

You spoke, and Glenn listened. Your bold response sends a message to those who’d rather ignore the problem. Keep raising your voice at Glennbeck.com—your input drives the fight for justice. Take part in the next poll and continue shaping the conversation.