Wholesale change at the IRS is needed, Louisiana Republicans say, in light of disclosures that the agency targeted Tea Party and other conservative organizations for extra scrutiny. Late Wednesday, President Barack Obama responded, announcing the forced resignation of acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller for lax oversight. Rep. John Fleming, R-Minden, said Congress should temporarily stop the audit authority for the...
Wholesale change at the IRS is needed, Louisiana Republicans say, in light of disclosures that the agency targeted Tea Party and other conservative organizations for extra scrutiny. Late Wednesday, President Barack Obama responded, announcing the forced resignation of acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller for lax oversight.
Rep. John Fleming, R-Minden, said Congress should temporarily stop the audit authority for the Internal Revenue Service until it has a "chance to get to the root of the misconduct within that agency." Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, said the scandal "is a fresh reminder of the political thuggery that has characterized the Obama administration."
"The Internal Revenue Service's decision to target organizations based on their beliefs and values represents a new low for the Obama administration's attack on conservative principles," Scalise said. "All those responsible for this scandal, from the White House down, must be held accountable for their shameful actions."
Scalise said his office is surveying Louisiana Tea Party organizations. He wants to know whether they sought tax-exempt statusand were forced to undergo extra scrutiny by the IRS.
Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, asked the IRS to release a list of all Louisiana groups targeted by the agency. "We recently learned that the IRS impeded conservative groups from doing their work by imposing additional requirements on them before gaining tax-exempt status," Cassidy said. "Any branch of the federal government which undermines groups of any political persuasion is attacking our democratic values. It is simply anti-American."
Also expressing shock was Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana: "News reports of actions by a small group of IRS employees are extremely troubling. The American people must know the full scope of what happened and deserve to have an IRS worthy of the public's trust -- one that operates on a non-partisan basis.
"Strong and swift measures must be taken to prevent this from ever happening again. The recommendations in the inspector general's report are a start. Those who were involved should be held fully accountable for their actions."
A report by the Treasury Department's inspector general blamed "ineffective management" for the extra scrutiny that the IRS used to evaluate tax-exempt status requests by Tea Party and other conservative groups. The report said investigators couldn't determine who organized the extra scrutiny request.
On Wednesday, Miller, the now ousted IRS commissioner, told members of Congress that the agency identified two "rouge" employees, in its Cincinnati office, who were responsible for the decision, according to CNN. In brief remarks late Wednesday, the president said Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had requested and accepted Miller's resignation.
"It's inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it. And I am angry about it," Obama said. "I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but particularly the IRS given the power that it has and the reach that it has in all of our lives."
Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, was the first Democrat to call for the resignations of Miller and Lois Lerner, the IRS official who oversees non-profits.
"I think there was a failure of oversight within that agency," Levin said. "Also, they failed to really tell us in the Congress what was going on."