Tea Party Patriots: Obama Must Apologize For IRS Targeting
IGOR BOBIC 1:02 PM EDT, FRIDAY MAY 10, 2013
A spokeswoman for Tea Party Patriots, one of the largest national tea party groups, on Friday called on President Barack Obama to apologize for the actions the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) took during the 2012 election in inappripriately targeting conservative groups for additonal reviews.
“It is suspicious that the activity of these ‘low-level workers’ was unknown to IRS leadership at the time it occurred,” said Jenny Beth Martin, the national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, in a statement. “President Obama must also apologize for his administration ignoring repeated complaints by these broad grassroots organizations of harassment by the IRS in 2012, and make concrete and transparent steps today to ensure this never happens again.”
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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/tea-party-patriots-obama-must-apologize-for-irs
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McConnell Calls For Government-Wide Probe After IRS Apology For Targeting Conservatives
SAHIL KAPUR 1:07 PM EDT, FRIDAY MAY 10, 2013
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Friday called for a "government-wide review" of the Obama administration shortly after the IRS admitted and apologized for low-level staffers targeting conservative groups during the election.
McConnell referred to the IRS's conduct as "harrassment" and called it "thuggish."
"[M]ake no mistake, an apology won’t put this issue to rest," he said. "This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics."
His full statement:
“Today’s acknowledgement by the Obama administration that the IRS did in fact target conservative groups in the heat of last year’s national election is not enough. Today, I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not underway at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views. Last year, amid reports that the Obama administration was using the levers of executive power to harass conservative political groups in Kentucky and elsewhere, I issued a very public warning to the administration that the targeting of private citizens on the basis of their political views would not be tolerated. Today’s apology by the IRS is proof that those concerns were well founded. But make no mistake, an apology won’t put this issue to rest. Now more than ever we need to send a clear message to the Obama Administration that the First Amendment is non-negotiable, and that apologies after an election year are not an sufficient response to what we now know took place at the IRS. This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics.”
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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/mcconnell-calls-for-government-wide-probe-after-irs
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Darrell Issa Accuses IRS Of ‘Political Retaliation’ And ‘Unconscionable’ Actions
SAHIL KAPUR 1:28 PM EDT, FRIDAY MAY 10, 2013
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) on Friday called on the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to look into whether "political retaliation" was the motive of low-level staffers who the agency admitted targeted conservative groups.
Issa said in a joint statement with committee member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) that the actions were "unconscionable."
“The fact that Americans were targeted by the IRS because of their political beliefs is unconscionable. The Committee will aggressively follow up on the IG report and hold responsible officials accountable for this political retaliation.”
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http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/darrell-issa-accuses-irs-of-political-retaliation-unconscionable
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