Boehner on IRS: "Who’s going to jail over this scandal?”

"Clearly someone violated the law,” the House speaker said

Published May 15, 2013 4:24PM (EDT)

House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday that resignations over the IRS scandal would not be enough, and he believes there were criminal violations involved in the alleged targeting of conservative groups by the agency. “My question isn’t about who’s going to resign, my question is who’s going to jail over this scandal?” he told reporters.

“There are laws in place to prevent this type of abuse," Boehner continued. "Someone made a conscious decision to harass and to hold up these requests for tax-exempt status. I think we need to know who they are and whether they violated the law. Clearly someone violated the law."

On Tuesday, Attorney General Eric Holder said that he has ordered the FBI to investigate whether any criminal violations occurred. Holder is scheduled to appear before a House committee on Wednesday, where he will likely face questions about this scandal, as well as the Department of Justice's decision to subpoena phone records from the Associated Press.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Fbi Irs John Boehner Justice Department Republicans Tea Party