WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, a member of the Senate Committee on Finance which is currently investigating the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) targeting of conservative groups, today called for an independent counsel to uncover the truth about the abuses.
“I am calling for Congress to appoint and fund an independent counsel to get to the bottom of both the targeting of conservative groups and actions taken by the Administration to hide information relating to this targeting,” Roberts said.
“Since the disclosure last week that the IRS somehow lost two critical years of Lois Lerner’s email, the news keeps getting worse for the American public. We are all outraged by this development, which is a clear attempt to shield the Obama Administration from accountability for targeting conservative groups. But now we learn that Lois Lerner’s hard drive, along with computer data of six other employees connected to her, has been destroyed and likely not recoverable. To compound this outrage, the IRS has known about this for several months, but withheld this key fact from the Finance Committee, which is actively investigating the IRS. This is simply inconceivable.
“Earlier this week, I called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for suppressing the First Amendment, but that’s no longer enough.
“The Obama Administration’s Department of Justice won’t meaningfully pursue the IRS, but Kansans are demanding a full investigation, where ever it may lead, into how and why the IRS shut down the activities of the Administration’s opponents. At this point, only a Congressionally appointed and separately funded special counsel, with full subpoena power, can get to the bottom of this matter. Congress has longstanding and broad authority to both investigate allegations of wrongdoing within the federal government and to delegate its investigatory powers to other entities. It’s time to put this authority into action.
“The IRS’ assault on the Constitution cannot stand. We need to have a full and complete accounting of what was done, by whom, and at whose direction. Only then can we begin to restore the public’s faith in our government and their right to freely participate in the electoral process.”
Further attempts by the IRS to target groups for their political beliefs through proposed regulations were dropped due to public outcry and legislation offered by Senator Roberts and Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and 39 others. According to media reports, the IRS is rewriting the regulations. Senator Roberts will continue to fight any new proposed 501c4 rules that threaten Americans’ First Amendment Rights.
Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance which has jurisdiction on taxes and is Ranking Member of Senate Committee on Rules and Administration which has jurisdiction on federal elections.