Issa Subpoenas Treasury For Tea Party Targeting Docs

WASHINGTON – House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif, today announced that the Committee has subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew for documents and communications regarding the targeting of conservatives from non-IRS Treasury officials. The Committee previously subpoenaed Lew on August 2 for Internal Revenue Service (IRS) documents on the targeting.

“Secretary Lew is responsible for providing all pertinent documents Treasury has in its possession, both within and outside the IRS,” said Chairman Issa regarding the subpoena. “The Committee is aware of responsive documents in Treasury’s possession that have not been produced to the Committee.”

On June 13, 2013, Chairman Issa and Chairman Jordan joined Chairman Camp and Chairman Boustany in writing to Treasury Secretary Lew to request its assistance with the Committees’ investigations.  The letter requested that the Department produce nine categories of documents by June 27.

On June 27, 2013, Treasury responded and produced only 356 pages of documents, mostly letters from Member of Congress and drafts of congressional testimony.

On September 18, 2013, Chairman Issa and Chairman Jordan wrote to Treasury Secretary Lew to reiterate the June 13 request.  This letter noted that the Chairman would consider compulsory process if the Department did not fully comply with the June 13 request by October 2.

On October 2, the Department notified the Committee that it would not be able to meet the October 2 deadline in light of the government shutdown.  As an accommodation to the Treasury Department, the Committee allowed an extension of time for a response.

On October 24, the Department finally responded to the Chairmen’s September 18 letter.  The Department produced an additional 800 pages of document, mostly draft regulations and comments to proposed regulations.

As of today, almost five months since the Committee’s initial request, the Department has produced almost no internal communications about the substance of the investigation and has only produced material in response to a few of the Committee’s multiple document requests.

The subpoena seeks the following:

• All documents and communications to or from any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury referring or relating to Internal Revenue Service processes, procedures, or criteria for evaluating applications for tax exempt status.

• All documents and communications referring or relating to a June 4, 2012 briefing delivered by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to General Counsel Christopher Meade.

• All documents and communications referring or relating to the disclosure, potential disclosure, or any plan to disclose the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s audit 2013-10-53, entitled, Inappropriate Criteria Were Used to Identify Tax-Exempt Applications for Review.

• All documents and communications to or from any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury referring or relating to congressional requests for information about the process for reviewing applications for tax-exempt status.

• All documents and communications to or from any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury referring or relating to the drafting, review, editing, or approval of testimony given to Congress by any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury about matters related to the IRS, including, but not limited to, communications between and among employees of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and employees of the Office of Management and Budget.

• All documents and communications to or from any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury referring or relating to the drafting, review, editing, or approval of letters sent by the IRS to any Member of Congress, including, but not limited to, the following letters:

1. Steven Miller’s letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, dated July 1, 2011;
2. Steven Miller’s letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, dated July 25, 2011;
3. Joseph Grant’s letter to House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, dated November 18, 2011;
4. Joseph Grant’s letter to House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, dated March 12, 2012;
5. Joseph Grant’s letter to House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, dated March 23, 2012;
6. Lois Lerner’s letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and House Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Jim Jordan, dated April 26, 2012;
7. Joseph Grant’s letter to House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, dated April 26, 2012;
8. Steven Miller’s letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, dated April 26, 2012;
9. Lois Lerner’s letter to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and House Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Jim Jordan, dated May 4, 2012;
10. Steven Miller’s letter to House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany, dated June 15, 2012; and
11. Steven Miller’s letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, dated September 11, 2012.

• All documents and communications to or from any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury referring or relating to the establishment of the IRS Affordable Care Act Office and related personnel and staffing decisions for the Affordable Care Act Office.
• All documents and communications to or from any employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury referring or relating to any internal IRS evaluation, review, or investigation into the processing of applications for tax-exempt status.