By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery responded to the resignation of Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service Stephen Miller following revelations that under his leadership his agency was involved in the targeting of conservative groups, including some Alabama residents, with extraordinary scrutiny from 2010-2012.
Miller was also the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement which oversaw the part of the agency responsible for reviewing the applications of groups applying for tax-exempt status. Rep. Roby said that the scandal hits home for her because one of the groups that was targeted by the IRS is from her Congressional District, the Wetumpka Tea Party.
Rep. Roby said, “The resignation of the acting IRS Commissioner is a positive step, but I doubt that alone will restore Americans’ faith in this Administration. Who can blame us for being skeptical about what we are told by those who pull the levers of power in Washington?”
In a letter to President Barack H. Obama, U.S. Senator Jeff Session (R) from Alabama named Miller specifically for being untruthful to the Congress. Sen. Sessions wrote, “In response to questions raised in 2012 on this issue by Republican Senators, Steven T. Miller, the Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement at the IRS, specifically (and falsely) stated that there was an unbiased, technical screening process used to determine which applications for 501(c)(4) organizations merited further review. In two separate letters to Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch, Mr. Miller failed to note that explicitly political screens were used in reviewing applications, despite the fact the practice was apparently well known within the IRS as early as 2010.”
Congressman Spencer Bachus (R) from Vestavia said, “The revelations about the IRS singling out conservative groups for special tax scrutiny and the Justice Department’s seizure of the phone records of reporters raise troubling issues regarding free speech and the right of Americans to engage in political activity without fear of government retribution. We must have all the facts and full accountability from bottom to top. My concern is that, far too often, we have not had the accountability and promised transparency from this Administration that the American people need and deserve.”
