Levin-McCain statement on IRS investigation

WASHINGTON – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the subcommittee’s ranking member, issued the following statement today on the subcommittee’s investigation of IRS regulation of nonprofit groups engaged in politics:

“The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has been for several months examining on a bipartisan basis whether the IRS has adequately enforced rules regarding the extent to which tax exempt nonprofit 501(c)4  groups engage in partisan politics. We had tentatively planned a hearing on that issue for June. After Friday’s announcement that the IRS, to the extent it has been enforcing the law, may have done so in ways that singled out some groups for special scrutiny, we have determined that the subcommittee should investigate that additional issue as well. As a result, we have decided to delay our hearing in order to examine this issue carefully.  We will continue to work on a bipartisan basis to ensure the integrity of our political process and of enforcement efforts.”