Kevin Kookogey, a witness in Monday’s Congressional hearing on the ongoing IRS scandal, is outraged by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) insinuating he might not have told the truth in his testimony.

During testimony before the House Ways and Means Committe, Mr. Kookogey explained that he had received an offer of $30,000 but that the offer was withdrawn when his group Linchpins of Liberty did not receive 501(c)(4) status from the IRS. 

This point came up again Wednesday when Fox host Megyn Kelly asked Rep. McDermott about it directly. Kelly pointed out, “Kookogey talked about how they lost a $30,000 donation because a lot ofpeople don’t want to donate to groups that haven’t received that stampof approval in officially becoming a 501(c)(4).” McDermott responded, “That was not under testimony under oath. I don’t know… He didn’t offer any proof.”

Kelly then asked incredulously, “So he was lying?” Rep. McDermott denied he was calling Mr. Kookogey a liar and demanded Kelly stop putting words in his mouth, but he went on to say, “People can say anything and they do say in testimony before committees. But the fact is we don’t know that to be true.”

Speaking to Breitbart News, Mr. Kookogey was clearly outraged: “I would suggest the Congressman lawyer-up because his implication that Ihave been dishonest in my testimony may be actionable per se.  He is a public figure and I am a private citizen.” Mr. Kookogey then addressed the substance of Rep. McDermott’s comments, noting that he has a letter proving the truth of his testimony:

Moreover, if I were to lie before Congress about losing a private grant, why would I make it as undramatic as $30K?  If I were trying to make up a story, I think something more exciting like $1 million, or at least $100K would be more compelling.  But the boring truth is I was only promised $30K.  If they would like to subpoena the letter, they may.  I am going to show a redacted copy tomorrow on Megyn Kelly’s show, and I hope the Congressman is watching.  But I will also jealously guard the privacy of the PRIVATE foundation who made the grant.  They, too, are private citizens who deserve the protection of the law that Congressman McDermott seeks to eviscerate.

McDermott’s claim that no organization suffered as a result of IRS targeting conservative groups was obviously false even without Mr. Kookogey’s letter. At this point, this attempt at damage control only seems to be doing more damage.

Watch Rep. McDermott’s interview with Megyn Kelly below.

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