As members of Congress continue their investigation into Internal Revenue Service practices that delayed the tax-exempt status for many conservative groups from 2010 to 2012, Arkansas Congressman Tim Griffin says now is not the time to score political points.
“Get the facts and then draw your conclusions. That’s the way an investigation works,” said Griffin. “As a result of partisan fervor, some people have a tendency to get ahead of the facts. My view is get the facts and let the facts tell the story.”
After a key IRS manager invoked her constitutional right to refuse to answer questions in the House Oversight Committee this week, Griffin says his colleagues need more information to uncover what happened behind the scenes where it seems bureaucratic red tape disproportionately impacted tea party groups.
“What facts do we already have? I think it’s fair to say there was targeting going on… we learned that from the [Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration] report in the hearings. Additionally, that targeting was inappropriate and potentially illegal,” Griffin said in an interview with KUAR News. “We also know there were a lot of individuals who had a legal obligation to tell what was going on [at the IRS] to Congress when they were asked and they did not do that.”
Griffin says lawmakers still need additional documents to go along with testimony from important officials who played major roles in the controversy.
