This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/21/irs-agency-scandal-congressional-hearing
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| IRS scandal: former agency heads under fire at congressional hearing | IRS scandal: former agency heads under fire at congressional hearing |
| (4 months later) | |
| Anger at the Internal Revenue Service scandal boiled over at a congressional hearing on Tuesday when a senior Republican senator accused one of the former heads of the agency of "lying by omission". | Anger at the Internal Revenue Service scandal boiled over at a congressional hearing on Tuesday when a senior Republican senator accused one of the former heads of the agency of "lying by omission". |
| Senator after senator grilled the two IRS former bosses, Steven Miller, who was fired last week, and Doug Shulman, who was in charge at the time of the scandal and was giving evidence for the first time since the row broke. | Senator after senator grilled the two IRS former bosses, Steven Miller, who was fired last week, and Doug Shulman, who was in charge at the time of the scandal and was giving evidence for the first time since the row broke. |
| At the end of the hearing, senators expressed frustration over what they saw as a lack of answers over why the IRS singled out conservative groups for greater scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. | At the end of the hearing, senators expressed frustration over what they saw as a lack of answers over why the IRS singled out conservative groups for greater scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. |
| The hearing came as a California-based Tea Party group launched the first lawsuit against the IRS over what it described as "intensive and intrusive scrutiny". Other Tea Party groups are expected to follow. | The hearing came as a California-based Tea Party group launched the first lawsuit against the IRS over what it described as "intensive and intrusive scrutiny". Other Tea Party groups are expected to follow. |
| The row broke almost two weeks ago when the IRS revealed that staff at its office in Cincinnati, Ohio, had been targeting groups with names such as Tea Party or Patriot and delaying their requests for tax-exempt status. | The row broke almost two weeks ago when the IRS revealed that staff at its office in Cincinnati, Ohio, had been targeting groups with names such as Tea Party or Patriot and delaying their requests for tax-exempt status. |
| The names of the staff involved has not yet been made public. The IRS denies their motives were political and has portrayed it instead as an organisational mess-up. | The names of the staff involved has not yet been made public. The IRS denies their motives were political and has portrayed it instead as an organisational mess-up. |
| Miller, who was grilled by a House committee on Friday, returned for a second appearance, this time in front of the Senate finance committee alongside Shulman. Miller, who was forced to resign by Barack Obama last Wednesday, apologised on Friday for the affair but Shulman irritated senators on Tuesday by refusing to follow suit. | Miller, who was grilled by a House committee on Friday, returned for a second appearance, this time in front of the Senate finance committee alongside Shulman. Miller, who was forced to resign by Barack Obama last Wednesday, apologised on Friday for the affair but Shulman irritated senators on Tuesday by refusing to follow suit. |
| The senators were especially angry over the failure of the two men, who they said had known about the scandal, to reveal the targeting when questioned by the committee last year. | The senators were especially angry over the failure of the two men, who they said had known about the scandal, to reveal the targeting when questioned by the committee last year. |
| The Republican senator Orrin Hatch said Shulman, when he testified, had claimed there had been no targeting. Shulman replied that at the time he had not had access to the full set of facts. | The Republican senator Orrin Hatch said Shulman, when he testified, had claimed there had been no targeting. Shulman replied that at the time he had not had access to the full set of facts. |
| Hatch turned to Miller and accused him too of sitting on "that guilty knowledge". He added: "That is a lie by omission, and you kept it from people who have an obligation to oversee this matter." | Hatch turned to Miller and accused him too of sitting on "that guilty knowledge". He added: "That is a lie by omission, and you kept it from people who have an obligation to oversee this matter." |
| Hatch bluntly asked Miller: "Why did you mislead us?" Miller replied: "I did not lie, sir." | Hatch bluntly asked Miller: "Why did you mislead us?" Miller replied: "I did not lie, sir." |
| The Senate committee has sent a detailed list of questions and demands for internal documents to the IRS, including a list of the names and positions of all staff who were involved in or were aware of the scandal. | The Senate committee has sent a detailed list of questions and demands for internal documents to the IRS, including a list of the names and positions of all staff who were involved in or were aware of the scandal. |
| Barack Obama said that he had only learned about the scandal at the same time as the public, reading it in the press, on 10 May. But the White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday told journalists that some White House officials had known about the issue since April, including the White House chief of staff, Denis McDonough. | Barack Obama said that he had only learned about the scandal at the same time as the public, reading it in the press, on 10 May. But the White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday told journalists that some White House officials had known about the issue since April, including the White House chief of staff, Denis McDonough. |
| Asked why McDonough had not informed the president, Carney said he had "rightly chosen" not to do this. "The cardinal rule here is you do not intervene in an independent investigation … particularly when the final conclusions have not been released." | Asked why McDonough had not informed the president, Carney said he had "rightly chosen" not to do this. "The cardinal rule here is you do not intervene in an independent investigation … particularly when the final conclusions have not been released." |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |