Rep. Broun: Special Counsel May Be Needed in IRS Scandal

Rep. Paul Broun says congressional investigations into the IRS' tea party-targeting scandal should be allowed to proceed, but suggested the appointment of a "special counsel" might be necessary to get to the real truth.

"It's absolutely incredible that this administration would target groups through the IRS that they see as political enemies, and that is intolerable," the Georgia Republican told Newsmax TV, adding that "it may very well come to the point of having a special counsel" step in to prosecute the case.

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Attorney General Eric Holder has already launched a criminal investigation into allegations the IRS kept conservative groups from getting tax exempt status determinations.

Broun, a member of the Republican Study Committee and the Tea Party Caucus, said it's important to allow the nation's "system of justice " to work and "not make a prejudgment" about who was responsible.

But he said, "Obviously it is all the way up into the high levels of the administration. We need to find out who started this absolutely intolerable situation where the IRS is targeting individuals as well as groups."

The congressman said every American, regardless of political stripe or ideology, should be concerned about getting to the truth.

"Liberals, conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all should be very, very fearful of government using the powers of the IRS to punish people who they deem as being enemies of the administration," he said. "It doesn't matter who's in the administration, whether it's a Democrat or Republican. This is intolerable, it cannot stand and it must cease."

Broun, a medical doctor, also expressed concerns about the agency's ability to administer the Obamacare program, given scandalous behavior in dealing with applications for tax exempt status from tea party and other conservative groups.

"The IRS is saying right now that they want to hire another 2,000 agents to try to implement Obamacare," he said. "They're going to be looking into health records of every single American. This is a tremendous intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship and employer-employee relationship."

Broun, like most other Republicans, says Obamacare should "be ripped out by the roots."

The House planned to vote again Thursday, for the 37th time in about a year, to repeal the healthcare program that was approved by a Democratic-controlled Congress and signed into law in 2010.

"What we need to do is have a president that will sign a repeal and replace bill," said Broun.

He added, "Obamacare is going to be a destroyer. It's already destroying family budgets and business budgets. It's going to destroy the federal budgets and state budgets also."