KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO: “Last week, we learned the IRS--the most powerful and intimidating Federal agency in existence and the agency now working…”

“Last week, we learned the IRS--the most powerful and intimidating Federal agency in existence and the agency now working to monitor our health care--has ``lost'' over 2 years of emails from at least six employees. In a master stroke of unluckiness, the IRS claims that the only computer systems impacted are those belonging to top senior officials connected to the targeting of Americans who held conservative political beliefs--beliefs like the notion that the First Amendment should always be protected in order to have a lasting, free democracy. Nothing is ever this convenient. Mr. Speaker, are we to believe the same entity that can turn the lives of Americans upside down and that can demand 7 years of financial and personal records just ``lost'' 2 years of data from its own employees? Mr. Speaker, what would happen to your constituents, to my constituents or to any of our constituents--Democrats, Republicans or Independents--if they were investigated by the IRS and ``lost'' 2 years of data? Do you think the IRS would simply say, ``That's okay. I am sure it was an accident. These things happen. We will drop our investigation now''? Of course not. Yet that is what the IRS is telling Congress. ``Oh, sorry. We lost our data. Oh, well. Let's move on.'' Mr. Speaker, how can we as Representatives tell our constituents to cooperate with an entity that refuses to cooperate with Congress?…”