Press Contact Information

  • Twitter Widget

Print

Congressman Paulsen Statement on Ways and Means Committee Referral to DOJ

Washington, D.C.– Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-03), a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, released the following statement regarding the committee’s referral to the Department of Justice on the probable criminal actions of Lois Lerner:

“It’s been nearly a year since the Treasury Inspector General report that showed conservative groups had been unfairly targeted by the IRS for their political beliefs. Since that time, Lois Lerner, the IRS official at the center of this decision, has refused to testify before Congress and explain the actions of her department.

“Our democracy depends on the American people’s ability to trust that participation in our electoral system will not be punished, regardless of political persuasion. There is evidence that Ms. Lerner may have violated criminal statutes in using the power of the IRS to target specific organizations; an action that was wrong and harmful to public involvement in government. If that wasn’t enough, she also misled investigators and put confidential taxpayer information at risk, violating the constitutional rights and due process of citizens. The Department of Justice needs to hold Ms. Lerner accountable and show that using a government position to push a political agenda will not be tolerated.”

Paulsen, a champion of small business and advocate of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation, serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, and is co-chair of the Congressional Medical Technology Caucus.

For more information on Congressman Paulsen’s work in Congress visit Paulsen.house.gov.