If Attorney General Eric Holder refuses to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS scandal, he should be impeached, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said for the first time today.
“If this resolution is not passed and Democrats in the Senate choose not to put this necessary pressure on the Department of Justice, I have one very clear request,” Cruz said. “If Attorney General Eric Holder continues to refuse to appoint a special prosecutor, he should be impeached.”
Cruz asked for unanimous consent to call up and adopt a resolution “expressing the opinion of the Senate that the Attorney General should appoint a special prosecutor to investigate, and prosecute, if the facts support, the IRS targeting of Americans and its potential cover up of those actions.”
The lower chamber passed a similar resolution, sponsored by Rep. Jim
Jordan (R-OH) in early May. The resolution passed 250-168–with 26 Democrats in favor.
The IRS is under fire for allegedly targeting conservative groups who have been seeking a non-profit status. IRS commissioner John Koskinen was grilled by Republican members of the House over the claim from the IRS that requested e-mails of IRS personnel like Lois Lerner were lost after their computers crashed.
More recently, internal e-mails from 2012 surfaced showing Lerner discussing with a colleague whether the tax agency should investigate an issue regarding Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA).