The News with Sen. Cruz - June 27, 2014
The facts are clear—the IRS illegally targeted conservative groups. The IRS has admitted it and is paying a fine for it. Yet for over a year, President Obama and Attorney General Holder have failed to bring justice to those who perpetrated this egregious wrong.
The IRS’s failure to produce emails from Lois Lerner, the former director of the office responsible for targeting conservatives, its scrutiny of the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and its admitted violation of a conservative group’s personal tax information are outrageous.
It is past time for a special prosecutor with meaningful independence to resolve the many unanswered questions surrounding the IRS targeting scandal. We owe it to all Americans.
Please keep reading for an update of the latest in the Senate.
All the best,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Calls for AG Holder’s Impeachment if He Refuses to Appoint a Special Prosecutor
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz requested unanimous consent on a resolution calling for the Department of Justice to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the IRS’s illegal targeting of conservative groups. He also called for the impeachment of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder if he fails to appoint a special prosecutor.
Sen. Cruz said, “Americans need a guarantee that the IRS will never be used again to target an Administration’s political enemies. It saddens me that there is not one Democrat in this body has had the courage to stand up to his or her own party and say that using the IRS to target citizens for their political beliefs, is wrong. We need a special prosecutor with meaningful independence to make sure justice is served and our constitutional rights to free speech, assembly, and privacy are protected.”
The failure to fully investigate and prosecute individuals for the illegal targeting of political organizations is just one of many offenses committed by Attorney General Holder. While he has been Attorney General:
- DOJ was at the center of the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal that led to the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent. The House of Representatives voted him in contempt of Congress two years ago.
- DOJ has refused to enforce federal immigration laws, federal healthcare laws, federal welfare laws, and federal drug laws as written by Congress.
- DOJ attempted to bring the 9/11 terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to Manhattan to be tried on U.S. soil.
- DOJ gave the Obama Administration the green light to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay without giving proper notice to Congress.
- DOJ helped secretly obtain the phone records of journalists at Fox News and the Associated Press.
Sen. Cruz Visits Unaccompanied Minor Facility in San Antonio
On Monday, Sen. Cruz and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott toured the facility in San Antonio currently housing increasing numbers of unaccompanied minors that have crossed the Southwest border. Following the tour, Sen. Cruz and Attorney General Abbott held a press conference.
“We are witnessing a humanitarian crisis unfolding that is the direct consequence of President Obama’s lawlessness,” Sen. Cruz said. “We just toured this Air Force facility, where up to 1,200 children are being cared for… but they have come through harrowing circumstances.
“When the President of the United States prevents the Border Patrol from following the law, and enforcing our immigration laws, when the President of the United States announces to the world amnesty for those who have broken the law, the consequence is people respond to that, and the way they respond to that is handing over their children to drug dealers and vicious cartels.
“This is heartbreaking, but we need to act to stop it by number one finally securing the border and number two, by not offering amnesty which only incentivizes more and more people to violate the law and in this instance endanger the safety and lives of their kids.”
Last week, Sen. Cruz sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson urging him to consider Attorney General Abbott’s proposal that would enable the State of Texas to take decisive action to secure the Southwest border and prohibit further endangering thousands of unaccompanied minors.
Sen. Cruz Speaks Out for Meriam Ibrahim
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz spoke on the floor calling for bipartisan support of legislation that would allow Meriam Ibrahim to come to America with her husband and two children who are U.S. citizens.
Sen. Cruz said, “Sudan, two days ago responded to the international pressure and released [Meriam Ibrahim]. Now that they have apparently had a change of heart and forcibly captured her, we need to speak even louder. We need to speak out for Meriam Ibrahim because it is wrong for everyone, especially this young wife and mother, to be subject to torture and murder for being a Christian. That is unequivocally wrong, and we need to speak in one voice on that.” Sen. Cruz also called for the President’s voice in urging for Meriam’s release on Fox and Friends earlier on Wednesday.
In Case You Missed It
- Sen. Cruz praises Riley v. California decision - READ
- Sen. Cruz statement on NLRB v. Noel Canning decision - READ
- Sen. Cruz lauds McCullen v. Coakley decision - READ
- Sen. Cruz Files S. 2510 to Prohibit Guantanamo Transfers Until Administration Justifies Release of ‘Taliban 5’ - READ
- Speaking with Matt Patrick - LISTEN
- Speaking with Tony Perkins - LISTEN
