The Republican National Committee filed a Freedom of Information Act request Wednesday seeking to obtain records involving the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups.
"As each day passes, Americans find ourselves with more questions about the IRS' targeting of conservative groups and donors — and what the White House and Treasury Department knew and when," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus
said in a statement.
He said the decision by Lois Lerner, the head of the tax exempt organizations division of the IRS, to plead the Fifth Amendment before Congress for fear of self-incrimination, shows "there's clearly something serious the American people are not being told."
The Information Act request asks for all documents and correspondence between Jan. 1, 2010 and May 20, 2013 that contain the words "tea party," "patriot," or "9/12 project" among others.
The letter also requests all documents and correspondence during that period involving the heightened scrutiny of taxpayers based on donations to non-profit political groups.
Priebus pointed out in his statement that when "liberal group ProPublica" — an investigative news agency — issued a similar request in November, it was granted information within two weeks.
"We hope the IRS will handle our request for information with the same expediency," Priebus said.
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