Congresswoman Jenkins on IRS Targeting Conservative Groups

5/13/2013

WASHINGTON - The House Ways and Means Committee will investigate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) practice of unfairly targeting conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status. As a member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, who has been looking into this issue since 2011, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) released the following statement:

“I am absolutely outraged and shocked that the IRS not only deliberately targeted individuals based on their political belief, but they also misled Congress about those actions. I sat in the room when IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman repeatedly denied this activity to me and other members of the Oversight Subcommittee. This behavior will not be tolerated. After years of denying such activity to Congress, those that conducted this shameful abuse of power together with anyone that knew about it must be held accountable.”

Jenkins attended a House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Oversight hearing on March 22, 2012, during which, Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany asked Shulman whether or not conservative groups' tax-exempt status was being targeted due to their political views and he denied such activity.

On Friday, Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp announced he will soon hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this situation and hold the IRS accountable for its actions.  

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