Unlike some of his fellow Florida Republicans, U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw is playing it cool when it comes to investigating the scandals that are increasingly plaguing the Obama administration.
Crenshaw is a veteran politician, in Congress since 2000. Before that he was in Tallahassee, rising to become president of the Florida Senate and making a bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination back in 1994. From his perch as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Crenshaw has some control of how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) manages its funds -- and, on Monday, he called some of that organizations managers before his committee.
Acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George faced Crenshaw on Monday, and the Florida Republican quickly brought up the recent revelations that the IRS had targeted conservative and tea party groups.
The facts and circumstances that bring us here are enough to shake anyone's faith and trust in government," Crenshaw said. Targeting groups based on their names and political beliefs is both chilling and outrageous. A voluntary tax system depends on a fair and impartial collection process because, as Chief Justice Marshall said, the power to tax is the power to destroy.
Calling the IRS targeting of conservative groups, an arrogant and absolute abuse of power, Crenshaw ripped IRS mangement for ignoring it. No one spoke up," Crenshaw said. But, theres a lot we dont know. And its time for the IRS to come clean.
Congress appropriates more than $10 billion in hard-earned taxpayer dollars each year for IRS operations," Crenshaw added. Before we spend one more dime on the IRS, we need to know how it spends the money it already receives. And, we need to know what safeguards the IRS plans to have in place to make sure the funds are used in a legal and appropriate way.
Crenshaw also tore into the IRS for wasting funds. Now we learn of the flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars on conferences and videos, he said. And, what is most disheartening, the money came in part from unused funds from the IRS enforcement budget -- at a time when they were asking for even more funding.
We cannot in good conscience provide taxpayer dollars that are used to abuse the rights of American citizens, nor can we provide dollars that are wasted in such a flagrant manner as we have just discovered, Crenshaw added.
Pretty harsh words -- but Crenshaw did not directly open fire on the Obama administration on Monday. There are certainly rewards for a Republican going all out to slam the White House -- and if Crenshaw has any doubts about it, he can look to his fellow Florida Republican Ron DeSantis who is raising his profile by taking on the administration and calling for the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder.
DeSantis has upped the stakes in recent days, asking his followers on Twitter to tell President Obama that it's time to demand Attorney General Holders resignation" and opining Holder needs to put America before himself and resign as attorney general.
But DeSantis is in a different spot than Crenshaw. Only 34, its easy to see DeSantis, despite being a political newcomer, as a candidate for higher office. Crenshaw, on the other hand, is 68 and, while he ran for Florida secretary of state in 1978 and for governor in 1994, its next to impossible seeing him launch another bid for state office.
There is also the example of a Florida Republican who went overboard in bashing Obama -- former Congressman Cliff Stearns. After 24 years in Congress, when facing three major Republican primary opponents in 2012, Stearns played up his opposition to the Obama administration, even stressing his work in investigating Solyndra. Republican primary voters were turned off by Stearns and, in one of the biggest upsets in Florida in recent years, Ted Yoho won the four-way contest. With Democrats starting to gain a little traction on the First Coast but with his seat fairly secure, Crenshaw can be more subtle with his investigation on the IRS.
Regardless of how he plays it, Crenshaw is getting a little spotlight as he investigates the IRS. For the moment, he is letting the committees findings speak for themselves, though, if something dramatic arises, he could change his tune.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis exclusively for Sunshine State News.
