IRS Tea Party Scandal, Washington • Internal Revenue Service officials
responsible for targeting tea party organizations and groups critical
of the government should end up behind bars, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz,
R-Utah.
Chaffetz is a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that will dig into the growing scandal that had politicians from both parties fuming Monday.
"Whoever is responsible, whoever was complicit
in the execution of this, those who participated in the cover-up, not
only should they be fired, they should be prosecuted and thrown in
jail," Chaffetz said. "There is no way to defend this one. Using the IRS
as a tool is just beyond reason."
The IRS has admitted to and apologized for
inappropriately selecting conservative groups for extra reviews of their
tax-exempt status, going so far as to demand to know the donors of some
organizations during the 2012 election. Chaffetz and Utah tea party
leader David Kirkham say the IRS did not target any Utah groups to their knowledge.
An inspector general’s report is due out this week, which, according to The Washington Post, will say that the IRS selected 298 tax-exempt groups
for special scrutiny to ensure they were not violating laws involving
political participation. Of those, 72 had "tea party" in their name, 13
had "patriot" and 11 had "9/12."
At a news conference Monday morning with
British Prime Minister David Cameron, President Barack Obama said he
first heard about the accusations on Friday, when Lois Lerner, the IRS
division chief over tax-exempt organizations, disclosed the improper
targeting at a conference in Washington.
"If you’ve got the IRS operating in anything
less than a neutral and nonpartisan way, it is outrageous," Obama said.
"I’ve got no patience with it. I will not tolerate it."
The Democratic president said the people involved should "be held fully accountable."
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who was elected in 2010 as a tea party champion, said everyone should be concerned about the IRS actions.
"This should not be dismissed as just another
conflict between left and right," he said. "It’s a conflict between the
federal government and the American people, who — regardless of their
political leanings — should be free to exercise their constitutionally
protected rights without fear of political retribution from the world’s
most powerful tax-collection agency."
