OBAMA: ACTING TAX AGENCY COMMISSIONER HAS RESIGNED

Associated Press

May 15, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced the resignation of the top official at the federal tax agency following a controversy over the targeting of conservative political groups for extra scrutiny.

Obama, who has been criticized for appearing passive in his response to the matter, declared, “I am angry about it” and said the American people had a right to be angry as well.

He announced the resignation of the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, a day after the release of a report that showed ineffective management at the IRS allowed agents to improperly target conservative groups for more than 18 months.

The IRS investigation is one of several scandals dogging the Obama administration, including its response to last year’s deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, and the seizure of
Associated Press phone records in a leak investigation. The trio of tempests has emboldened opposition
Republicans as they seek to stymie Obama’s second-term agenda and score political points ahead of next year’s congressional elections.

Obama announced Miller’s resignation after meeting at the White House with top officials from the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS.

Miller became acting commissioner in November, after Commissioner Douglas Shulman completed his five-year term. Shulman had been appointed by President George W. Bush.

The president has proceeded cautiously since the IRS controversy was made public Friday. While he initially said the accusations were “outrageous,” he also said he wanted to wait until the inspector general’s report was released before addressing what should be done to hold accountable those responsible.

The report lays much of the blame on IRS supervisors in Washington who oversaw a group of specialists in
Cincinnati, Ohio, who screened applications for tax exempt status. It does not indicate that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups, but it does say a top supervisor in Washington did not adequately supervise agents in the field even after she learned the agents were acting improperly.

The Justice Department is also investigating the IRS targeting, as are three congressional committees.