True the Vote | PO Box 131768 | Houston, Texas 77219-1768
March 9, 2015
The Hon. Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), Chairman
The Hon. Mike Crapo (Idaho), Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS
Oversight Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Hon. Ron Johnson (Wisconsin), Chairman
The Hon. Rob Portman (Ohio), Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations Chairman
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Hon. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin), Chairman
The Hon. Peter Roskam (Illinois), Subcommittee on Oversight
Chairman
U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means
1102 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Hon. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), Chairman
The Hon. Mark Meadows (North Carolina), Subcommittee on
Government Operations Chairman
U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Re: Investigating possible use of third party email services for
official IRS purposes
Dear Chairmen:
Following revelations regarding former U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clintons use of a homebrew
email system and other similar high-profile federal cases, I
write to implore all Committees to expand
active investigations into Internal Revenue Service targeting
matters, to include the potential use of third-
party email providers. Given the Committees impressive track
records for working to discern facts from
deceptions involving the IRS elusive email storage operation,
added scrutiny for off-book
communication tools are more than justified, given renewed
public interest in ensuring that the Federal
Records Act is properly followed.
As the Committees continue to execute their respective
investigations into IRS targeting of presumed
conservative groups that sought 501(c) status under the Internal
Revenue Code, True the Vote
respectfully requests that investigators question whether IRS or
other federal personnel of interest utilized
personal communication tools not issued by their employer for
official use. Based on the organizations
direct experience on the matter, immediate scrutiny should be
given to:
True the Vote | PO Box 131768 | Houston, Texas 77219-1768
Lois Lerner, former IRS Exempt Organizations Division
Director;
Steven T. Miller, former acting Commissioner of the Internal
Revenue Service;
Douglas H. Shulman, former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue
Service;
William J. Wilkins, Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel;
Holly Paz, Acting Manager for the IRS Exempt Organizations
Technical Unit;
Cindy M. Thomas, IRS Exempt Organizations and Determinations
Unit Program Manager;
Steven Grodnitzky, IRS Exempt Organizations Technical Unit
Manager;
David Fish, IRS Office of Rulings & Agreements Acting
Director;
Michael C. Seto, IRS Technical Unit Acting Manager;
Susan Maloney, IRS Exempt Organizations Specialist;
Ronald Bell, IRS Exempt Organizations Specialist;
Janine L. Estes, IRS Exempt Organizations Specialist;
Faye Ng, IRS Exempt Organizations Specialist.
Former Secretary Clintons latest news regarding third-party
email use is just a continuation of a thriving
culture of concealment within the Obama Administration, which is
growing increasingly apparent to the
American public. As you know, former Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson
was found to have used a fictional epa.gov email account under
the name Richard Windsor in June
2013.1 Further, former IRS official Lois Lerner reportedly
alerted colleagues to be cautious about what
we say in emails, and sought clarification as to whether an
instant messaging tool used internally was
archived for electronic records searches in the future.2 The
saga of IRS email losses claimed in federal
court and seemingly miraculous recoveries after lawsuits were
dismissed continues to inspire justifiable
public suspicion toward the agency.
True the Vote is encouraged by recent public assurances on
behalf of various Committees leadership to
take very seriously the investigation into allegations of
misconduct by the IRS and promises to uphold
the Federal Records Act.3 Should the Committees broaden their
investigations or confirm existing efforts
to do the same, the public would reasonably be reassured by such
a disclosure.
Thank you very much for your respective Committees ongoing work
to seek real answers surrounding
the IRS targeting scheme. Your public commitment to diligently
following every possible lead in this
investigation will help close a chilling chapter in the history
of our great nation.
1 The Washington Times; Newly released emails show EPA directors
extensive use of fictional alter ego
(6/2/2013),
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/2/newly-released-emails-show-epa-directors-
extensive/?page=all 2 The Wall Street Journal; Emails Point to
IRS Officials Using Instant Messages (7/10/2014),
http://www.wsj.com/articles/emails-point-to-irs-officials-using-instant-messages-1404936144
3 New York Post; Congress will probe Hillary Clintons emails
(3/3/2015), http://nypost.com/2015/03/03/congress-
will-probe-hillary-clintons-emails/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/2/newly-released-emails-show-epa-directors-extensive/?page=allhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/2/newly-released-emails-show-epa-directors-extensive/?page=allhttp://www.wsj.com/articles/emails-point-to-irs-officials-using-instant-messages-1404936144http://nypost.com/2015/03/03/congress-will-probe-hillary-clintons-emails/http://nypost.com/2015/03/03/congress-will-probe-hillary-clintons-emails/
