Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), a senior member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, blasted Ranking Member Elijah Cummings’ announced intention to post the full investigative interview of IRS employee John Shafer on the internet:
“Ranking Member Cummings’ decision to release this transcript will severely undermine the Oversight Committee’s ability to gain the full truth of what has transpired at the IRS. Since he called for an end to this investigation, we have learned that IRS officials in Washington had been more involved in the targeting of TEA Party and conservative groups than we initially were lead to believe. This maneuver will do nothing more than obstruct the Committee’s investigation. It’s clear that Ranking Member Cummings is concerned only with ending a highly embarrassing and troubling investigation before we learn the full truth of who was responsible and why.”
Turner has introduced the Taxpayer Nondiscrimination & Protection Act of 2013. The bill would amend Title 18 of the U.S. Code to make it a crime for an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee to discriminate against an individual or group on the basis of their protected rights. In addition, it expressly clarifies that political speech and political expression are protected rights. Sen. Marco Rubio has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
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