Senate Republicans to Biden DOJ: “Do Your Jobs” on IRS Leaks
‘Find those responsible for these disclosures and ensure they are punished as directed by law. Unless you do, ordinary Americans will fall victim to these politicized and criminal disclosures, and trust in the IRS and our tax system will continue to erode.’
WASHINGTON D.C. — Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding a prompt investigation and prosecution of the latest IRS leak of confidential taxpayer information.
The following are excerpts from the letter:
[…]
“Paying
one’s taxes is a civic duty, and that duty requires taxpayers to disclose to
the IRS deeply personal financial information… But those compelled disclosures
should not, and do not, make that financial information public.
[…]
“Th[e]
rule of confidentiality is about more than just protecting individual privacy,
although that is an important objective. The rule is a vital check against the use
of the incredible power of federal taxation for nefarious political purposes.”
[…]
“Although
we are alarmed by this disclosure, we are far more alarmed by what it portends
for everyday Americans… Ordinary Americans who turn over their personal information
to the IRS because they will go to jail if they don’t have every reason to fear
that they may too become a victim to the political machinations of activists
inside and outside of the IRS.”
[…]
“It
has become clear that bad actors are more than happy to weaponize Americans’
tax information for political purposes. It is further clear that this wanton
and criminal abuse of the tax system disproportionately—indeed,
exclusively—advances the objectives of the political left in this country.”
[…]
“Ultimately,
the only way to prevent these dangerous disclosures is to ensure that those who
unlawfully disclose tax information go to jail. That’s why Congress imposed
serious criminal penalties on illegal disclosures like those published by
ProPublica.”
###
Read the Senate Republican letter in full HERE.
Next Article Previous Article