By Michael O'Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News
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The outgoing head of the IRS blamed ?foolish mistakes? made by employees for the agency?s targeting of conservative groups, denying that partisanship played a role in the controversy.
Steven Miller, the acting commissioner of the IRS who submitted his resignation from that role earlier this week, appeared on Friday before the first Capitol Hill hearing on the revelations that IRS officials had inappropriately singled out conservative groups for extra scrutiny. He apologized for the tax-collecting agency?s actions, but blamed incompetence, rather than political score-settling, for the scandal.
?As acting commissioner I want to apologize on behalf of the IRS for the mistakes that we made and the poor service that we provided,? he said in a brief opening statement.
?I do not believe that partisanship motivated the practices of the people described in the IG report,? Miller added. ?I think that what happened here was that foolish mistakes were made by people who were trying to be efficient in their work.?
House Republicans convened, on Friday, for the first of what?s sure to be many hearings into the actions by taken by IRS officials to single out conservative and Tea Party groups for additional scrutiny.
Miller appeared before the House committee charged with handling taxes on Friday, where he faced pointed questions from Republicans and Democrats alike.
The hearing comes a week after an inspector general?s reports detailing abuses by IRS officials first became public. The revelation that the IRS had targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status erupted this week into a major political controversy for President Barack Obama, who publicly denounced the actions of the IRS officials, and pledged to cooperate with Congress in investigating the root cause of the controversy.
?It is just simply unacceptable for there to even be a hint of partisanship or ideology when it comes to the application of our tax laws,? the president said Thursday at the White House.
But the administration?s actions have scarcely satisfied conservatives, who have demanded criminal prosecutions as a result of the controversy, and have suggested that the IRS?s actions might have been a politically motivated effort to target ideological opponents. (The inspector general report found no evidence of external influence on IRS field agents to pursue conservative groups.)
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joins The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd to talk about the IRS scandal. He discusses whether ?the IRS situation hurts chances of passing bipartisan immigration reform, Benghazi, and the gives his opinion on the new Media Shield Law.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who?s seen as possibly having his own presidential ambitions one day, called the IRS fiasco evidence of a ?culture of intimidation? by the Obama administration; House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, accused the administration of ?remarkable arrogance? over the IRS controversy and revelations that the Justice Department seized phone records of Associated Press journalists.
Friday?s hearings before the House Ways and Means Committee will give Republicans a perch to advance many of those attacks on the administration. Along with Miller, J. Russell George, the Treasury?s inspector general for tax administration, will also appear.
?This committee wants the facts, and the American people deserve answers to why they were targeted on the basis of their political beliefs,? Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., the chairman of the committee, said following Miller?s resignation on Wednesday. ?The IRS has demonstrated a culture of cover up and has failed time and time again to be completely open and honest with the American people.?
Related stories:
Obama names acting IRS chief, denies knowledge of IRS report
This story was originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 7:43 AM EDT
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