NRCC To House Democrats: Condemn IRS’s Outrageous Abuse Of Power

Time For House Democrats To Demand Investigation On IRS Targeting Conservative Groups

The shocking news that the IRS specifically targeted conservative groups was met with outrage by both Republicans and Democrats alike. Today, it was reported that senior IRS officials knew of these actions and did nothing. Yet House Democrats have remained silent.

It’s time for them to join the bipartisan chorus of condemnation and speak out against the inappropriate actions of the IRS. We need an immediate investigation to determine exactly what happened and ensure this never happens again. This behavior is a direct affront to the values and laws this country was founded on.

“House Democrats’ silence on the IRS’s outrageous abuse of power is disgraceful,” said NRCC Communications Director Andrea Bozek. “Government agencies targeting citizens based on their political beliefs has no place in this country. The time has come for them to speak out against this behavior and demand an investigation.”

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), Ron Barber (AZ-02), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), John Garamendi (CA-03), Ami Bera (CA-07), Jim Costa (CA-16), Lois Capps (CA-24), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Scott Peters (CA-52), Jim Himes (CT-04), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Alan Grayson (FL-09), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Joe Garcia (FL-26), John Barrow (GA-12), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Bill Foster (IL-11), Bill Enyart (IL-12), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Dave Loebsack (IA-02), John Tierney (MA-06), Bill Keating (MA-09), Tim Walz (MN-01), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Rick Nolan (MN-08), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Annie Kuster (NH-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Steve Israel (NY-03), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Bill Owens (NY-21), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Pete Gallego (TX-23), Jim Matheson (UT-04), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), and Nick Rahall (WV-03).

On Friday, The IRS Apologized For Inappropriately Targeting Tea Party Groups For Investigations. “ The IRS apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was “inappropriate” targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware.” (“IRS Targeted Tea Party Groups Earlier Than 2012,” Associated Press, 5/13/13)

This Morning, The Associated Press Reported That Senior IRS Officials Knew Of The Targeting In 2011. “ Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011, according to a draft of an inspector general’s report obtained by The Associated Press that seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner.” (“IRS Targeted Tea Party Groups Earlier Than 2012,” Associated Press, 5/13/13)

Democrat And Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich Said The Actions Of The IRS Were “Not Tolerable.” “Even former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, a liberal stalwart, slammed the practice on Fox, saying it will ‘only further induce the already poisonous dysfunction in Washington.’ This is not tolerable – we cannot have a condition in America where people’s politics are the basis for IRS attacks,” he said. “We are in a hyper-partisan, intensely partisan condition in Washington, the polarization is damaging to our country. And we’re seeing another symptom of it here.” (Jake Miller, “Lawmakers Decry “Outrageous” IRS Conduct As Targeting Scandal Deepens,” CBS News, 5/12/13)