Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., vowed in no uncertain terms Wednesday that the newly-elected Republican majority would continue to pursue the Internal Revenue Service scandal involving the alleged targeting of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
The senator, who easily defeated his Democratic challenger this week by about 17 points, promised during a press conference on Wednesday that he and his colleagues would continue to hold hearings on the scandal.
McConnell’s remarks were prompted by a reporter who asked: “Will there be hearings on the IRS?”
The Kentucky senator responded immediately and without missing a beat: “Oh, you can bet on that.”
McConnell said nothing further, his point well made.
The former IRS official at the center of the scandal, Lois Lerner, invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination soon after admitting to the targeting scandal and has since refused to cooperate with congressional investigators.
Congress responded in May to Lerner’s continued refusal to cooperate by voting to hold her in contempt, leading the now-disgraced former federal official to feel persecuted by congressional investigators.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Lerner told Politico in a recent article. “I’m proud of my career and the job I did for this country.”
“Regardless of whatever else happens, I know I did the best I could under the circumstances and am not sorry for anything I did,” she added.
One thing would seem clear, though: The Republicans who now control the House and the U.S. Senate are determined to pursue the scandal.
