BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Texas Senator and Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz revealed recently another piece of what would be on his agenda if he is elected to the nation’s highest office a year from now—pursuing justice for the Tea Party groups persecuted by the IRS under President Obama.
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sen. Cruz requested her office preserve all its documents from the investigation into the IRS.
“It is important for you and other officials in this Administration to understand that this administration’s decisions to neither continue this investigation nor appoint a special prosecutor do not represent the conclusion of this matter,” Sen. Cruz wrote. “Given this Administration’s refusal to conduct itself appropriately, or take the issue of the potential illegal conduct of IRS employees seriously, any subsequent administration should reserve the right to reopen the matter, conduct its own investigation, or appoint a special prosecutor to conduct an investigation.”
Taking his request a step further, Cruz warned that failure to comply could be met with “justified prosecutions” under his administration.
Cruz’s request hits close to home for several Alabama groups.
The Wetumpka Tea Party was one of those essentially blocked from gaining tax exempt status by the IRS.
In an emotional testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in 2013, Wetumpka Tea Party Leader and congressional candidate Becky Gerritson described the chilling effect the IRS’s persecution had on groups like hers.
“This was not an accident,” Gerritson said. “This is a willful act of intimidation to discourage a point of view. What the government did to our little group in Wetumpka, Ala. is un-American. It isn’t a matter of firing or arresting individuals. The individuals who sought to intimidate us were acting as they thought they should in a government culture that has little respect for its citizens.”
Before announcing her candidacy for Congress, Gerritson also served in the Alabama team for Cruz’s campaign.
Cruz has visited the Yellowhammer State perhaps more than any other 2016 presidential candidate thus far. This week Cruz’s wife, Heidi, returned to Alabama to deliver his qualifying documents to the ALGOP.
During an interview with Yellowhammer Radio this week, Mrs. Cruz told host Cliff Sims she and her husband “will be spending a lot of time with y’all.”
Currently, Sen. Cruz sits in 4th place, polling an average of 8.8% support, behind Dr. Ben Carson at 24.8%, Donald Trump at 24.6%, and fellow Senator Marco Rubio at 11%.
Alabama will hold its primary on March 1st, 2016.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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