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Eric Holder, FBI, IRS, Probe
WASHINGTON—Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday the Justice Department has opened a criminal probe of the Internal Revenue Service’s treatment of tea-party groups, while an investigativereport blamed the agency’s managers for allowing the practices to continue for more than 18 months.
On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama termed the audit findings “intolerable and inexcusable” and said he directed Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to hold those responsible accountable.
Mr. Holder said Tuesday he ordered the department’s probe Friday after the IRS apologized for what it said was inappropriate scrutiny of tax-exemption requests by conservative groups with “Tea Party” or “patriot” in their names.
“The FBI is coordinating with the Justice Department to see if any laws were broken in connection with those matters related to the IRS,” Mr. Holder said at a news conference. “Those were, I think, as everyone can agree, if not criminal, they were certainly outrageous and unacceptable.”
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