Republicans continued to salivate and lick their chops over the horrific few days the Obama administration had this week. The wounds were deep, but President Obama was able to stop the bleeding when he fired the acting head of the IRS for their intrusion into the GOP and The Tea Party.
“I am angry” Mr. Obama said last night from the East Room regarding the IRS scandal, as he announced the firing of Steven Miller, the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. The president called Miller’s termination “the first step” to prevent similar misconduct in the future, while vowing to “do everything in my power” to make sure it never happens again.
“The misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable. It’s inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it and I am angry about it,” Mr. Obama said in his statement to the American people. “I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency—but especially in the IRS, given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives.”
Mr. Obama also made it clear that the “responsible parties” will be held accountable, adding that Treasury Secretary Jack Lew “took the first step by requesting—and accepting—the resignation of the acting commissioner of the IRS because given the controversy surrounding this audit, it’s important to institute new leadership that can help restore confidence going forward.”
The president’s actions are being seen as a swift and forceful response to the illegal activities of an important government agency — although it is still yet to be seen if this will quiet the GOP’s search for a smoking gun and their attempt to devalue Mr. Obama and his leadership.
