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RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - U.S. House Ways & Means Committee kicks off the investigation into the IRS targeted of conservative and Tea Party groups with a hearing Friday, May 17.
House Speaker John Boehner's office reports the meeting will begin at 9 a.m. EST and will be streamed live online at waysandmeans.house.gov.
The Speaker's statement:
“The IRS admitted on Friday that conservative groups that included the word ‘tea party’ and ‘patriot’ in their tax documents were singled out,” reported POLITICO. The agency “also gave a skeptical eye to groups focusing on specific issues including ‘government spending,’ ‘government debt,’ ‘education of the public via advocacy/lobbying to ‘make America a better place to live,’ and all groups that ‘criticize[d] how the country is being run.’”
The Wall Street Journal called it a “stunning admission,” and said the abuse “can't be dismissed in a casual apology on a casual Friday as no big deal. It's a very big and bad deal.”
The Washington Post called it “appalling,” and said it was equally “disturbing” that President Obama didn’t quickly apologize and call for a full investigation.
“You don’t have to be a Republican conservative or a tea party member or a hardened cynic to wonder who in the Obama campaign or the Obama White House might have known about inquiries into the tax status of Obama’s foes,” wrote the Huffington Post.
The American people deserve to know “who is ultimately responsible for this travesty,” said Speaker Boehner. “What actions will the Obama administration take to hold them accountable? And have other federal agencies used government powers to attack Americans for partisan reasons?”
“The IRS cannot target or intimidate any individual or organization based on their political beliefs,” said Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA). He pledged that “the House will investigate this matter.” |
