Crapo Seeks To Expand Investigation Into Wrongful IRS Targeting

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Senator Mike Crapo today called on federal officials in Washington, D.C., to intensify the investigation into the political targeting of conservative groups by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the agency's inability to produce a record of emails and other electronic information related to the alleged misconduct of senior IRS employees.

Crapo, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, was joined by his Republican colleagues on the committee in requesting Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) immediately convene a hearing to allow for a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the missing electronic correspondence records from key IRS officials. 

In a further attempt to uncover whether there was obstruction of a Congressional investigation into the efforts to silence political dissent through tax scrutiny, Crapo also called upon the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Federal Election Commission to produce any record of electronic communication between the respective agencies and then-IRS Director of the Office of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner and other top IRS officials.

"The IRS should not be the determiner of political activity and certainly should not be using its authorities to hinder the activities of groups it disagrees with," said Crapo. "The agency has been less than forthcoming with information critical to fully understanding how this could have happened and what reforms are necessary to ensure that the kinds of wrongful actions carried out by the agency never occur again."

Since learning of the inexcusable targeting by the agency, Crapo has demanded strong reforms, joining 39 Senate colleagues to introduce the Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act which would require the IRS to revert back to standards and definitions that were in place on January 1, 2010-a date prior to the agency's targeting.

In addition to Crapo, the letters were signed by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Patrick Toomey (R-Pennsylvania).

To read the full text of the letter to Chairman Wyden, click here. 

Letter to the U.S. Treasury Department is available here.

Letter to the U.S. Attorney General is available here.

Letter to the U.S. Federal Election Commission is available here.