American People Have Right to Know

Floor Speech

Mr. GARRETT. Mr. Speaker, President Obama purports to protect and defend the idea of open government, but his staff seems to have missed the memo. You see, just 5 months ago, I asked Treasury Secretary Jack Lew about his personal knowledge of the IRS' reprehensible practice of targeting innocent Americans. I inquired of him three basic things, one of which was what was the Secretary's knowledge and what was his involvement with any of the various meetings with then-IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman and the White House. You see, back then a year ago, Jack Lew served as the chief of staff to the President while some of the most egregious, reprehensible behavior ever displayed by the IRS took place while Doug Shulman was the IRS Commissioner and while Doug Shulman reportedly attended meetings at the White House at various times. Unfortunately, rather than answer some of these basic and simple questions and putting to bed any and all appearance of impropriety by Jack Lew, Secretary Lew continues to ignore all of my questions.

The American people have the right to know. The American people have the right to know exactly what Secretary Lew knew and what he did. So I rise today to ask the American people to join with me and demand openness from this government, from this President, and from Secretary Jack Lew.

Secretary Lew, it is time to answer the questions of the American public.

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