Rep. Issa Subpoenas Treasury for IRS Documents

Rep. Issa and other Republicans have finally become agitated by attempts to label the IRS scandal a "phony scandal" by the White House, and the Treasury Department has been subpoenaed for documents pertaining to the IRS targeting scandal.

The head of the IRS, Daniel Werfel has been accused of obstructing congressional investigations, and the committee wants documents handed over in which IRS agents subjected Tea Party and other conservative groups to much more scrutiny than other groups that applied for tax-exempt status.

Issa has also asked for all communications to and from IRS agent Lois Lerner other high-level personnel.
Issa said the documents they are getting from the IRS are blacked out and useless to investigators.

Issa said to Werfel, "You are slow-rolling us, there are important facts to get out, and you are obstructing."

Werfel shouted back,"That is not true."

Issa said, "When you eliminate search terms unilaterally you are obstructing us by limiting the scope of discovery. Do you understand that, Mr. Werfel?"

The IRS had narrowed the date range for the requested documents. Werfel said documents have been blacked out to protect taxpayer information that Issa's committee does not have legal authority to receive, and that in Congress, that authority is reserved for the chairmen of the two tax-writing committees, House Ways and Means and Senate Finance, and their designated staff.