WASHINGTON – As reported in multiple national media outlets, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, in response to Congresswoman Jenkins (KS-2) questioning at yesterday’s House Ways and Means Committee Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George stated he notified high-ranking officials at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Treasury about the IRS practice of unfairly targeting conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status as early as June 2012, nearly a year ago.

Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George stated during the hearing:

“I alerted the commissioner, then Commissioner Shulman on May 30, 2012, and I subsequently alerted the General Counsel of the Department of the Treasury on June 4,” said Treasury Inspector General George during yesterday’s hearing. “And subsequently, and I do not have the exact date, alerted the Deputy Secretary, Neal Wolin, on this matter and then on his presumption to the position, I mentioned it to the Secretary Lew.”

Congresswoman Jenkins released the following statement after the hearing:

“Based on J. Russell George’s testimony and responses to my questions at the hearing today, we now know that at least as early as June 2012, nearly a year ago, high-ranking officials at the Department of Treasury knew about this investigation including Deputy Treasury Secretary Wolin and the General Counsel to Secretary of Treasury Geithner, in addition to former IRS Commissioner Shulman,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “But the question remains, who knew, for how long and why wasn’t corrective action taken prior to the pre-arranged leak of this information last Friday?”   

Click here to watch the video of Congresswoman Jenkins’s questions during the Ways and Means Committee hearing yesterday.

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