Bill

Bill > HRes565


US HRes565

US HRes565
Calling on Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., to appoint a special counsel to investigate the targeting of conservative nonprofit groups by the Internal Revenue Service.


summary

Introduced
05/02/2014
In Committee
05/03/2014
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/03/2015

Introduced Session

113th Congress

Bill Summary

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives, with respect to the targeting by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of conservative nonprofit advocacy groups, that: (1) the statements and actions of the IRS, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Obama Administration have served to undermine DOJ's investigation of this matter; (2) the Administration's efforts to undermine the investigation, and the appointment of a person who has donated almost $7,000 to President Obama and the Democratic National Committee in a lead investigative role, have created a conflict of interest for DOJ that warrants removal of the investigation from its normal processes; (3) further investigation of the matter is warranted due to the apparent criminal activity by Lois G. Lerner, former IRS Director, Exempt Organizations, and the ongoing disclosure of internal communications showing potentially unlawful conduct by executive branch personnel; (4) given DOJ's conflict of interest, as well as the strong public interest in ensuring that public officials who inappropriately targeted American citizens for exercising their right to free expression are held accountable, appointment of a special counsel would be in the public interest; and (5) Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., should appoint a special counsel, without further delay, to investigate the targeting of conservative nonprofit advocacy groups by the IRS.

AI Summary

This Resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., should appoint a special counsel to investigate the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) targeting of conservative nonprofit advocacy groups. The resolution argues that statements and actions by the IRS, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Obama Administration have undermined the DOJ's investigation, and that the appointment of an individual who donated to President Obama and the Democratic National Committee to a lead investigative role created a conflict of interest. It further states that further investigation is warranted due to apparent criminal activity by former IRS Director Lois G. Lerner and ongoing disclosures of potentially unlawful conduct by executive branch personnel. Given the DOJ's conflict of interest and the public interest in holding accountable officials who may have targeted citizens for exercising their right to free expression, the resolution concludes that appointing a special counsel is in the public interest and urges the Attorney General to do so without delay.

Committee Categories

Justice, Military Affairs and Security

Sponsors (18)

Last Action

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. (on 05/07/2014)

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