A special prosecutor is needed to investigate the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups, Sen. John Thune said on Thursday.
"Some independent way of looking at this is needed, so you don't get another jaded review that's colored by this administration's biases," the South Dakota Republican told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
Story continues below video.
"That's what's going to be really important in this -- because otherwise, I don't think the American people are going to be able to get their trust back in government generally, and especially in an agency like the IRS, unless there is objectivity and credibility and transparency."
President Barack Obama named Danny Werfel -- the controller of the Office of Management and Budget who served a critical role in the controversial automatic "sequestration" cuts -- to lead the beleaguered IRS.
The acting head of the agency when the extra scrutiny of conservative groups occurred, Steven Miller, resigned on Wednesday.
Regardless of who is now at the helm of the IRS, Thune said the scandal itself reflects "ambiguous" leadership from President Barack Obama.
"The take-away coming out of this is that the president has a credibility gap," he told Malzberg. "The American people deserve answers and they deserve accountability -- and that's why, particularly where the IRS is concerned, there's got to be a lot more investigation and a lot more firings and action taken, including determining whether or not there was legality there.
"There's a possibility of criminal activity here, and that's something that's got to be gotten to the bottom of as well."
See the Steve Malzberg Show on Newsmax TV each weekday live by Clicking Here Now
You can listen to the Steve Malzberg Show each weekday live from 3-6 PM ET on SiriusXM 166.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.