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TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER WITH
PARTICULARITY THERE.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER WE KNEW
THEN OR NOT.
STUART: JOINING US IS ONE OF THE
CONGRESSMEN WHO IS TRYING TO
BREAK THROUGH THAT BARRIER OF I
DON'T KNOW'S AND I HAVEN'T A
CLUE'S.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, WE
THINK YOU WERE THE STANDOUT
QUESTIONERS AND WERE YOU ON THE
PROGRAM ASKING THE QUESTIONS AND
MAKING THE POINTS.
MY QUESTION IS, DON'T YOU NEED A
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO PENETRATE
THE I DON'T KNOW'S AND PENETRATE
THOSE AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.
>> I THINK IT'S TOO EARLY IN THE
SENSE THERE ARE THREE MAJOR
ABUSES OF POWER, IT LOOKS LIKE
WITHIN THE IRS.
SOME MAY BE ILLEGAL, SOME MAY BE
ONLY INAPPROPRIATE, IN A MAJOR
WAY.
STUART: SO, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
THEY'RE TARGETING POLITICAL
GROUPS.
>> YOU'VE GOT TARGETING OF
POLITICAL GROUPS AND DONORS.
STUART: YEAH.
>> THE LEAKING OF TAXPAYER
INFORMATION, PERHAPS TO CAMPAIGN
TEAMS, OBVIOUSLY TO THE MEDIA,
THE HUFFINGTON POST AND TO
LIBERAL GROUPS AS WELL AND THE
ISSUE, DID THEY SHARE THIS
CONSERVATIVE APPLICATIONS
INFORMATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL
AGENCIES AND THEN FINALLY, DID
THEY MISLEAD CONGRESS, WHICH I
THINK HAS BECOME CLEARER EACH
DAY.
OUR POINT IS THIS, LET'S GET TO
THE TRUTH, GOOD OR BAD AND LET'S
HAVE IT DELIBERATE THOUGHTFUL
INVESTIGATION WITH THE WAYS AND
MEANS COMMITTEE IS LAUNCHING
THAT AS WE SPEAK.
STUART: WHO APPOINTS A SPECIAL
PROSECUTOR?
>> WELL, THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY
COME FROM, I WOULD THINK FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE, OR FROM
CONGRESS, BUT I REALLY THINK
THERE IS SO MUCH THERE, THERE
WITHIN THE IRS, THAT IF WE JUST,
AGAIN, FOLLOW IT TO THE TRUTH,
BEGIN SUBPOENAING THE KEY PEOPLE
AND INVESTIGATING, INTERVIEWING
KEY PEOPLE IN THE IRS, I THINK
WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE TRUTH.
STUART: LOIS LERNER WILL BE
TESTIFYING TOMORROW.
IS SHE THE LADY WHO RAN THE TAX
EXEMPT OFFICE, THE LADY WHO
ORCHESTRATED THE APOLOGY.
I DON'T THINK YOU HAVE A CHANCE
TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS TOMORROW
BECAUSE IT'S A DIFFERENT
COMMITTEE.
BUT IF YOU DID HAVE THE CHANCE,
IF IT WERE YOU ASKING HER
QUESTIONS TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD
YOU ASK HER?
>> THE SAME QUESTION I ASKED
STEVEN MILLER AND HE DUCKED,
WHICH IS WHO AUTHORIZED
TARGETING THE CONSERVATIVE
ORGANIZATIONS?
HOW LONG DID IT GO ON, WHO
APPROVED IT, AND WHY, WHY DID
YOU NEVER TELL CONGRESS AFTER
TWO YEARS OF INQUIREIES AND US
DEMANDING TO KNOW THE ANSWER,
YOU WANTED UNTIL YOU PLANTED THE
QUESTION AT AMERICAN BAR
ASSOCIATION BEFORE YOU EVEN
DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE.
STUART: WHAT'S YOUR HUNCH,
CONGRESSMAN?
WAS THIS JUST RELATIVELY MID
LEVEL PEOPLE WHO JUST DECIDED TO
DO THIS ON THEIR OWN OR WERE
THEY PRODDED AND POINTED TO IT
FROM SOMEBODY HIGHER UP?
>> THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS
ACTIONS FROM THE IRS.
THEY VIOLATE, I THINK, BOTH LAW
AND THE ROLE OF THE IRS, AND I
THINK TURNING THE IRS
POLITICALLY ON ORGANIZATIONS,
INDIVIDUALS, RISES TO A WHOLE
OTHER LEVEL.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT A SMALL
GROUP OF LOW LEVEL EMPLOYEES AT
THE IRS THOUGHT THIS UP OR
IMPLEMENTED ON THEIR OWN.
STUART: YOU KNOW, "THE
WASHINGTON POST" HAS A POLL OUT
AND I'M NOT SURE WHETHER WE
TRUST POLLS ONE WAY OR THE
OTHER, BUT THEY HAVE A POLL THAT
SHOWS THE PRESIDENT'S APPROVAL
RATING HAS NOT BUDGED ONE JOT
FROM WHERE IT WAS BEFORE THE IRS
SCANDAL BROKE.
>> I THINK IT'S TOO EARLY, THE
TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS.
WE OUGHT TO GET TO THE TRUTH AND
HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE AND MAKE
SURE THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.
>> YOU'RE GOING TO GO AWAY.
THE WHOLE CONGRESS GOES AWAY ON
A LONG SUMMER RECESS.
I'M NOT SURE WHEN YOU LEAVE
TOWN, BUT WHEN YOU DO LEAVE
TOWN, I MEAN, THIS, THIS SCANDAL
ESSENTIALLY IS DEAD IN THE
WATER.
UNTIL YOU COME BACK AGAIN,
RIGHT?
STUART, IT WILL NOT BE THAT
CASE, THE WAYS AND MEANS
COMMITTEE IS ASSIGNING, AND IT
WILL BE--
THE STAFF HAS BEGIN THE WORK ON
IT.
THIS WILL BE A PERSISTENT,
STEADY, I THINK DELIBERATE
INVESTIGATION, SO NO, WE'RE NOT
TAKING ANY BREAKS, IN FACT,
WE'RE GOING TO WORK THROUGH