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Rahall Statement on DOJ Investigation into IRS

Statement

Date: May 14, 2013
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Taxes Campaign Finance

U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) Tuesday released the following statement in response to the U.S. Justice Department's announcement that it has begun a criminal investigation into IRS scrutiny of certain tax-exempt groups.

"I am glad to see the FBI and Justice Department will be opening an investigation, but that is not enough. Congress has a responsibility to serve as a check on the Executive Branch and must ensure that any abuses of the public trust receive open scrutiny. I urge the Administration to cooperate fully as Congressional hearings get underway. Law and tax enforcement must be above reproach and beyond partisan accusations. If violations of the law occurred, the appropriate officials must be held accountable.

"Both Justice Department investigations into the IRS and Executive Branch leaks to the Associate Press are about our Nation's most fundamental rights enshrined in the First Amendment -- free speech and freedom of the press. As elected officials, we must show the American people that we are doing everything possible to protect and defend those precious freedoms."


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