Tom Udall: “I have been watching today as various speakers have come to the floor. I want to join in the outrage about what has…”

“I have been watching today as various speakers have come to the floor. I want to join in the outrage about what has happened at the IRS, the idea that the IRS would pick specific groups and target them. In this case, apparently they used the name ``patriot'' and they searched through incoming applications for 501(c)(4)s--and the term ``tea party''--and they were obviously focusing on one side of the political spectrum. They should not have done that. There is no doubt that the people who are writing me, that people in America have watched this and feel a sense of outrage. They should be outraged. They are outraged, and I am outraged. One of the things we have to understand as a result of this is that the IRS has tremendous power. It has the power to audit. It has the power to request information. It has the power to refer for criminal conduct. I think in many cases the IRS is probably more feared than the prosecutor's offices, which also have tremendous power. As many know, I have had some real experience there, having been a Federal prosecutor, having been a State attorney general. That is power that should be used in a very careful way. You do not pick one part of the political spectrum and target people when you are entering a phase of a prosecution or an audit, as the IRS was doing. I think our President, who is a lawyer, understands that. President Obama has called for the resignation of the top IRS official. That official has resigned.…”