The pressure on auditors to appease managers of client firms who are at the same time clients who receive tax and/or internal audit and/or consulting services from the CPA firm is great.
Whenambiguous accounting treatments that might be used to manage performance and/or mask failure are identified, auditors seem pressured to accept them unless they clearly violate GAAP.
This setting encourages the auditor to go along with the desires of management on accounting matters that may violate the spirit of GAAP but not the bright-line rules within GAAP.
Too often the concern over the loss of a client has caused auditors not to use good professional judgment.