The investigator who wrote a scathing report about the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative political groups is heading back to Capitol Hill as a key House Democrat says his committee’s investigation has found no evidence of political bias at the agency. IRS inspector general J. Russell George is to testify Thursday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, along with two IRS workers who have been interviewed as part of the committee’s investigation. George has been criticized by some congressional Democrats who say his report failed to mention that some liberal groups were targeted, too. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., released a memo Tuesday saying that interviews with 15 IRS employees and reviews of thousands of emails reveal no evidence of political bias by IRS workers. The memo said there is also no evidence that anyone outside the IRS directed the targeting.
Cummings is the ranking Democrat on the oversight committee. The oversight committee is conducting a bipartisan investigation of the IRS. The investigation, however, has been marked by partisan sniping between Cummings and committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
The IRS has been under siege since the agency acknowledged in May that agents had improperly targeted conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 elections. George’s report blamed ineffective management for allowing the practice to continue for more than 18 months, delaying hundreds of applications for more than a year.
George’s report, however, did not indicate that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups.
Full Article: Congress Recalls Watchdog to Explain IRS Audit – NYTimes.com.