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OF YOU SOME INFORMATION ABOUT
WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT THIS, AND
WHERE WE GO FROM HERE.
I'VE REVIEWED THE TREASURY
DEPARTMENT WATCHDOG'S REPORT,
AND THE MISCONDUCT THAT IT
UNCOVERED IS INEXCUSABLE.
IT'S INEXCUSABLE, AND AMERICANS
HAVE A RIGHT TO BE ANGRY ABOUT
IT, AND I AM ANGRY ABOUT IT.
I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS KIND OF
BEHAVIOR IN ANY AGENCY, BUT
ESPECIALLY IN THE IRS.
GIVEN THE POWER THAT IT HAS, AND
THE REACH THAT IT HAS IN ALL OF
OUR LIVES.
AND AS I SAID EARLIER, IT SHOULD
NOT MATTER WHAT POLITICAL STRIPE
YOU'RE FROM, THE FACT OF THE
MATTER IS THAT THE IRS HAS TO
OPERATE WITH ABSOLUTE INTEGRITY.
THE GOVERNMENT GENERALLY HAS TO
CONDUCT ITSELF IN A WAY THAT IS
TRUE TO THE PUBLIC TRUST.
THAT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR THE
IRS.
SO HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
DO.
FIRST, WE'RE GOING TO HOLD THE
RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE.
YESTERDAY I DIRECTED SECRETARY
LEW TO FOLLOW UP ON THE AUDIT
AND FIND OUT WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
UNDERSTAND ALL THE FACTS.
TODAY SECRETARY LEW TOOK THE
FIRST STEP BY REQUESTING AND
ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF THE
ACTING COMMISSIONER OF THE IRS.
BECAUSE GIVEN THE CONTROVERSY
SURROUNDING THIS AUDIT, IT'S
IMPORTANT TO INSTITUTE NEW
LEADERSHIP THAT CAN HELP RESTORE
CONFIDENCE GOING FORWARD.
SECOND, WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN
PLACE NEW SAFEGUARDS TO MAKE
SURE THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR
CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
AND I'VE DIRECTED SECRETARY LEW
TO ENSURE THE IRS BEGINS
IMPLEMENTING THE IG'S
RECOMMENDATIONS RIGHT AWAY.
THIRD, WE WILL WORK WITH
CONGRESS AS IT PERFORMS ITS
OVERSIGHT ROLE.
AND OUR ADMINISTRATION HAS TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WORKING
HAND IN HAND WITH CONGRESS TO
GET THIS THING FIXED.
CONGRESS, DEMOCRATS AND
REPUBLICANS, OWE IT TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE TO TREAT THAT
AUTHORITY WITH THE
RESPONSIBILITY IT DESERVES, AND
IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T SMACK OF
POLITICS OR PARTISAN AGENDAS,
BECAUSE I THINK ONE THING THAT
YOU'VE SEEN IS ACROSS THE BOARD,
EVERYBODY BELIEVES WHAT HAPPENED
IN -- AS REPORTED IN THE IG'S
REPORT IS AN OUTRAGE.
THE GOOD NEWS IS, IT'S FIXABLE.
AND IT'S IN EVERYONE'S BEST
INTERESTS TO WORK TOGETHER TO
FIX IT.
I'LL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER
TO MAKE SURE NOTHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS AGAIN.
BY HOLDING THE RESPONSIBLE
PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE, BY PUTTING
IN PLACE NEW CHECKS AND
SAFEGUARDS, AND GOING FORWARD BY
MAKING SURE THAT THE LAW IS
APPLIED AS IT SHOULD BE IN A
FAIR AND IMPARTIAL WAY.
WE'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
LAWS ARE CLEAR, SO THAT WE CAN
HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY ARE
ENFORCED IN A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL