Friday, May 17, 2013

In Wake of Scandal, Obama Fires IRS Boss .... Who Was Already Resigning


In Wake of Scandal, Obama Fires IRS Boss .... Who Was Already Resigning
Posted By: Susoni [Send E-Mail]
Date: Thursday, 16-May-2013 16:09:34
 
Obama fires acting IRS commissioner in bid to quell growing anger over political targeting of Tea Party groups - but he says he was leaving anyway
Steven Miller is ousted but writes face-saving email announcing departure when his 'assignment ends in early June.'
Obama: IRS 'misconduct' is 'inexcusable and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it.'
Jacob Lew, Obama's trusted Treasury Secretary and former chief of staff, gave Miller his walking papers
IRS reportedly targeted 300 right-wing groups while letting left-wing organizations slide through with far less scrutiny
President Barack Obama has thrown his acting IRS commissioner overboard, making Steven Miller the highest-ranking political casualty thus far in a series of scandals that have swept his administration in recent weeks.
In a hastily called press conference in the East Room of the White House, Obama told reporters that he had asked Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to find out who was responsible for a program that targeted tea party groups and other conservative organizations for a special level of intrusive questioning after they applied for tax-exempt charitable statuses.
'Lew took the first step by requesting and accepting the resignation of the acting director of the IRS,' Obama said.
'It’s important,' he added, 'to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward.'
But in an email to IRS employees, Miller claimed he would only be leaving next month because his assignment would be over.
Steven Miller is shown in a CBS report. He has submitted his resignation, but informed employees at the IRS that he would be leaving 'as my acting assignment ends in early June'
'It is with regret that I will be departing from the IRS as my acting assignment ends in early June,' Miller wrote. 'This has been an incredibly difficult time for the IRS given the events of the past few days, and there is a strong and immediate need to restore public trust in the nation’s tax agency.'
The IRS, the president conceded, 'improperly screened conservative groups.' He referred to a report released Tuesday by the IRS's Inspector General.
'The misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable,' Obama exclaimed. 'It's inexcusable and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325223/Obama-fires-acting-IRS-commissioner-pressure-grows-surrounding-political-targeting-conservative-groups-sought-tax-exempt-status.html#ixzz2TUKf5Ajv


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