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Portman Says Questions Remain over IRS Scandal
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio --U.S. Sen. Rob Portman is accusing Steven Miller, former acting administrator of the Internal Revenue Service, of misleading Congress and the American people over concerns that the agency targeted conservative groups,
Discussion of the scandal plaguing the IRS commanded much of Portman’s half-hour conference call with reporters Thursday morning. Portman, R-Ohio, told reporters that Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing was “a good start” but added that many questions remain unanswered regarding the issue. He said he was particularly frustrated because Miller, who had sent a group to the Cincinnati office in response to concerns he and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch reported from conservative groups in a March 2012 letter to the IRS, responded that there had been no targeting.
“We also know now that within a week of sending that letter back, he got a full report which he found to be outrageous and yet he never corrected the record,” he said. “This is significant not just because [Miller] misled Congress and the American people, but also because it could have been stopped earlier. There could have been actions taken back in 2012 that are only being taken now.”
Two IRS employees have been disciplined already, he reported. However, he said he is concerned that the decision by Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’ tax-exempt organizations division placed, to invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, may mean less information will be coming from her than had been hoped. “I hope to get more information from the administration as to who directed these folks,” he said.
Lerner was placed on administrative leave Thursday, the day after she testified for a congressional committee.
According to Portman, the current controversy underscores the need for the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, which he and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., reintroduced. His bill would require more standardized reporting of federal spending posted to a single website, allowing citizens and agencies to more easily identify improper payments, waste and fraud. “It would be a good-government measure that would be appropriate to work on in context of these scandals,” he said.
Given the current political environment, Portman says he believes it was a good idea to delay until July a vote on Richard Cordray’s confirmation as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that the delay might help passage.
“Having another vote right now might not be helpful,” he remarked. “We’re making some progress but we’re not there yet.”
Portman noted that he met recently with other senators as well as with groups that have expressed concerns over the bureau in its current form including auto dealers, who have said regulations will make providing loans more difficult because or impact on banks.
“I hope to be able to be a broker to find a way to add some needed accountability to the system,” he said. Among the provisions he would like to see included is the addition of an inspector general, which would seem to be a “no-brainer.”
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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