Inside the IRS Scandal: The "Culprits," Their Inquisitors and Notable Quotes
A look at the players at the center of the IRS scandal.
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Need to Know - Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill are determined to find out who knew more about the actions of rogue Internal Revenue Service agents who wrongly thought it was a good idea to target politically conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. So far, three top officials have been forced to step aside or down. Here's a rundown of the key players and some of the most notable quotes — so far. —Joyce Jones (Photo: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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J. Russell George - J. Russell George is the Treasury inspector general whose report brought the IRS scandal to light. President George W. Bush nominated him for the position in 2004. He was one of the few top officials to emerge unscathed until House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa lit into him at a hearing. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
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Lois Lerner - Lois Lerner, the former head of the exempt-organizations division, made a splash on May 22 when, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, she declared in a statement that she'd done nothing wrong and then pleaded the fifth. The following day she was placed on administrative leave after refusing the request of acting IRS commissioner Danny Werfel that she step down. (Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Celia Roady - Tax attorney Celia Roady, at Lerner's request, asked a question about the IRS targeting conservative groups during an American Bar Association conference. She was as surprised as everyone else at the conference when the IRS official acknowledged the agency's wrongdoing. (Photo: Courtesy of Celia Roady/Dupont Photography)
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Steven Miller - Steven Miller was asked to resign from his position as acting IRS commissioner on May 15 after working at the agency for more than 25 years. Miller knew about the targeting in 2012, but did not disclose the information. At a Capitol Hill hearing he declared, "I did not mislead Congress, nor the American people." (Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Joseph Grant - Joseph Grant, commissioner of the tax-exempt and government entities division, announced on May 16 that he would retire on June 3. Grant, who had been promoted to the position just two days before the scandal broke, was the second IRS official in two days to leave his position. (Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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Douglas Shulman - Appointed IRS commissioner by former President George W. Bush in 2008, Douglas Shulman was still in charge of the agency when the targeting was going on before his departure in late 2012. He told lawmakers in March 2012 that conservative groups weren't given extra scrutiny, a fact contradicted by the Treasury inspector general. (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Sarah Hall Ingram - Sarah Hall Ingram previously was head of the tax-exempt division where the targeting took place. She is currently heading the IRS office handling the issues related to the Affordable Care Act. "Stunning, just stunning," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, pretty much summing up the views of most Republicans and even some Democrats. (Photo: C-SPAN)
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The L Word - “Their paid liar, their spokesperson, picture behind — he’s still making up things about what happened and calling this local rogue,” Darrell Issa said on CNN’s State of the Union, pointing to a picture of White House spokesman Jay Carney on the show’s set. (Photo: Courtesy CNN)
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Major Shade - "Strong words from Mr. Grand Theft Auto and suspected arsonist/insurance swindler. And loose ethically today," tweeted former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. He was referring to Darrell Issa's "youthful indiscretions" in response to the lawmaker calling White House spokesman Jay Carney a liar. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Gotta Love Him - At a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the controversy, New York congressman Charles Rangel, who was censured by the House in part because of tax irregularities, the following statement without even a wink toward the irony: “This is wrong to abuse the tax system. This screams out for tax reform, does it not?” (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
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Seriously? - "This is Nixonian," said Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs. "This is a president whose inner Nixon is being revealed." (Photo: FOX News)
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They Got What They Asked For - "Notwithstanding the troubling and unacceptable conduct of the IRS, if political organizations do not want to be scrutinized by the government, they shouldn't seek privileges like tax-free status and anonymity for their political donors," Sen. Ron Wyden said at a Senate hearing on the widening scandal. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Enough Said - "This is the defining moment to say 'I told you so,' " said Katrina Pierson, a Dallas-based Tea Party leader. (Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
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Un-American - “I don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent, to take that brute force, that bullying force of government and to use it against your opponents, there is something distinctly and profoundly un-American about that,” Sen. Rand Paul said at a fundraiser for the state Republican Party in Concord, New Hampshire. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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IRS, You in Danger, Yo - “There will be h**l to pay,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch, warning that a special prosecutor could be named if the IRS keeps "stonewalling" investigations. (Photo: Dave Roback/ The Republican /Landov)