Calling on Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., to appoint a special counsel to investigate the targeting of conservative nonprofit groups by the Internal Revenue Service.

the statements and actions of the IRS, the Department of Justice, and the Obama Administration in connection with this matter have served to undermine the Department of Justice’s investigation;

the Administration’s efforts to undermine the investigation, and the appointment of a person who has donated almost seven thousand dollars to President Obama and the Democratic National Committee in a lead investigative role, have created a conflict of interest for the Department of Justice that warrants removal of the investigation from the normal processes of the Department of Justice;

further investigation of the matter is warranted due to the apparent criminal activity by Lois G. Lerner, and the ongoing disclosure of internal communications showing potentially unlawful conduct by Executive Branch personnel;

given the Department’s conflict of interest, as well as the strong public interest in ensuring that public officials who inappropriately targeted American citizens for exercising their right to free expression are held accountable, appointment of a Special Counsel would be in the public interest; and

Attorney General Holder should appoint a Special Counsel, without further delay, to investigate the IRS’s targeting of conservative nonprofit advocacy groups.