Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus on Monday morning vowed to investigate IRS targeting of conservatives for extra scrutiny as multiple Democrats called for a probe.
“These actions by the IRS are an outrageous abuse of power and a breach of the public’s trust. Targeting groups based on their political views is not only inappropriate but it is intolerable,” Baucus said. “Americans expect the IRS to do its job without passion or prejudice. We need to get to the bottom of what happened here. I want to see all the facts. We need to know who knew what, and exactly what mistakes were made.”
“The American people have questions for the IRS and I intend to get answers,” he continued. “I want to review the Inspector General’s report first, but the IRS should be prepared for a full investigation into this matter by the Senate Finance Committee. The IRS will now be the ones put under additional scrutiny.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) called on President Obama to “immediately condemn” the “attack on our values” and demanded a congressional investigation.
“The actions of the IRS are unacceptable and un-American,” he said. “While we await answers from the Inspector General, there must be a congressional investigation to determine how this happened and to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) also called for accountability and safeguards to make sure it never happens again.
“I am very concerned about allegations the IRS targeted certain groups seeking tax-exempt status on political grounds, including a Virginia-based organization,” Kaine said. “There’s no excuse for ideological discrimination in our system. The Administration should take swift action to get to the bottom of this to ensure those responsible for misconduct are held accountable and establish appropriate safeguards to prevent this from ever happening again.”
