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| Rep. Adrian Smith |
The investigation into allegations the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeted conservative groups for political purposes recently took a surprising turn. The agency now claims it lost two years of e-mails from former IRS official Lois Lerner because her computer hard drive malfunctioned and was recycled. The agency’s failure to immediately report these alleged technical problems to congressional investigators does not lend the IRS any credibility with the American people.
These suspicious claims have rightfully received much attention. The potential destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice must be investigated because it adds to a serious crime the Ways and Means Committee has already referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. The seriousness of these allegations, the evidence uncovered so far, and now the appearance of misconduct require a special prosecutor to further the investigation.
Abuse of the tax code for political purposes by the IRS, the most feared and powerful agency in the federal government, is simply unacceptable. It goes against everything we expect from a government of, for, and by the people. The IRS has an important mission, and it must do its job fairly and without bias. Even the suggestion of impartiality at the IRS could undermine the agency’s ability to operate.
Through the investigation by the Committee on Ways and Means we now know the targeting was directed primarily at conservative groups. Of the 298 applications for tax-exempt status held up by the IRS, 83 percent were conservative-leaning, and 10 percent were liberal-leaning. We also know Ms. Lerner helped coordinate the targeting as head of the Exempt Organizations Division. We don’t know who, if anyone, told Ms. Lerner to act but this practice was not the work of low-level employees in the Cincinnati, Ohio office as originally reported by the IRS.
When the IRS first admitted to improperly scrutinizing political groups more than a year ago, there was bipartisan outrage and broad agreement the situation must be fully investigated and never allowed to happen again. President Obama even said “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but especially in the IRS, given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives.”
Recently, some of my Democratic colleagues have been more interested in seeing this investigation go away, and have criticized our efforts as political theatre. If they truly believe this to be the case, these individuals should support our calls for an independent prosecutor in this case. Many Democrats joined with Republicans in voting for a resolution calling on the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor; however, the Department has so far refused to do so.
Regardless of the party in power, no one deserves to be singled out by the IRS for their First Amendment rights to free speech and expression. It is critical we find out what happened so the responsible parties can be held accountable, the credibility of the IRS can be restored, and we can implement reforms to make sure this never happens again.
These suspicious claims have rightfully received much attention. The potential destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice must be investigated because it adds to a serious crime the Ways and Means Committee has already referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. The seriousness of these allegations, the evidence uncovered so far, and now the appearance of misconduct require a special prosecutor to further the investigation.
Abuse of the tax code for political purposes by the IRS, the most feared and powerful agency in the federal government, is simply unacceptable. It goes against everything we expect from a government of, for, and by the people. The IRS has an important mission, and it must do its job fairly and without bias. Even the suggestion of impartiality at the IRS could undermine the agency’s ability to operate.
Through the investigation by the Committee on Ways and Means we now know the targeting was directed primarily at conservative groups. Of the 298 applications for tax-exempt status held up by the IRS, 83 percent were conservative-leaning, and 10 percent were liberal-leaning. We also know Ms. Lerner helped coordinate the targeting as head of the Exempt Organizations Division. We don’t know who, if anyone, told Ms. Lerner to act but this practice was not the work of low-level employees in the Cincinnati, Ohio office as originally reported by the IRS.
When the IRS first admitted to improperly scrutinizing political groups more than a year ago, there was bipartisan outrage and broad agreement the situation must be fully investigated and never allowed to happen again. President Obama even said “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but especially in the IRS, given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives.”
Recently, some of my Democratic colleagues have been more interested in seeing this investigation go away, and have criticized our efforts as political theatre. If they truly believe this to be the case, these individuals should support our calls for an independent prosecutor in this case. Many Democrats joined with Republicans in voting for a resolution calling on the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor; however, the Department has so far refused to do so.
Regardless of the party in power, no one deserves to be singled out by the IRS for their First Amendment rights to free speech and expression. It is critical we find out what happened so the responsible parties can be held accountable, the credibility of the IRS can be restored, and we can implement reforms to make sure this never happens again.
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