Newsletter: Straight Talk with Sam - Holding the IRS Accountable

Statement

With all of the scandals we have seen out of the current White House, it feels more like we are living in 1974 than 2014 in many ways. I can think of no better example of this than the discovery that law-abiding Americans were being targeted by the IRS for their political beliefs. No one--be they conservative, liberal, or any other political affiliation--should be silenced through government agency bullying tactics.

Since news broke of this scandal, Congress has led rigorous investigations to find out who was behind this scandal. The Obama Administration has stonewalled these efforts at every turn by refusing to answer to the American people and hand over necessary information requested by Congress. Worse yet, Lois Lerner, the Director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS, plead the Fifth and refused to respond to questions before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. With my support, the House of Representatives held Lerner in contempt of Congress.

As you may know, the IRS announced it had "lost" several years' worth of Lerner's e-mails requested by Congress and we will likely never be able to recover them. The IRS claimed that this was a mishap due to a computer crash, and e-mails from six other individuals being investigated were completely "lost" as well. This simply doesn't pass the common sense test. It's becoming more and more apparent that the American people and Congress have been misled by the Obama Administration.

Missourians will not stand for a bureaucracy that abuses power to punish political opponents at the expense of our constitutional rights. It is un-American, and it has no place in our government. Please know that as your representative, I will continue to support investigations into this Administration's abuses of power.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves

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