Arizona congressman Matt Salmon is calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a Special Counsel to fully and independently investigate the IRS targeting of the Administration’s political opponents and to prosecute to the fullest any perpetrators found guilty of abusing their government roles.
“The recent IRS scandal is both appalling and unconscionable, and once again, this Administration appears unwilling to give the American public the answers they deserve. Attorney General Holder’s recent announcement that the investigation into this abuse of power would be handled by the Justice Department and the FBI is insufficient,” said Salmon in a statement released Wednesday. “The targeting of any political group by a government agency is unacceptable – if not criminal – and warrants further scrutiny by someone outside of the administration. I am requesting that Attorney General Holder appoint an independent and third party investigative body to further examine who ordered this targeting and how far up the chain of command it went.
Furthermore, the fact that the Justice Department recently admitted to secretly obtaining phone records from Associated Press journalists provides even more evidence that they have no credibility to lead an investigation of this magnitude.
Freedom of speech and thought are essential tenets of the American system of government. Unfortunately, this revelation that the IRS was targeting individuals and groups based on their political beliefs shakes the very foundation of our government and violates in a very real way their constitutional protections.”
The Administration continues to break the trust of the American people by failing to provide honest answers. They can take a step towards restoring some trust by appointing a Special Counsel to fully, fairly, and without bias, or undue influence investigate this latest scandal.”
On Wednesday, interim commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven T. Miller, resigned. The president claimed outrage as his administration is quickly unraveling amid multiple scandals. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “More than two years after the problem began, and a year after the IRS told us there was no problem, the president is beginning to take action. If the president is as concerned about this issue as he claims, he’ll work openly and transparently with Congress to get to the bottom of the scandal — no stonewalling, no half-answers, no withholding of witnesses.”
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, announced that the Committee will hold a hearing, entitled “The IRS: Targeting Americans for Their Political Beliefs next Wednesday.
“The IG report indicts IRS for a colossal management failure, but leaves many questions unanswered,” said Chairman Issa.