Read the IRS acting commissioner's resignation letter
(CNN) - In a letter to Internal Revenue Service employees, acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller announced "with regret" that he'll be leaving the agency in early June.
"This has been an incredibly difficult time for the IRS given the events of the past few days, and there is a strong and immediate need to restore public trust in the nation's tax agency," said Miller, a 25-year IRS veteran. "I believe the Service will benefit from having a new acting commissioner in place during this challenging period."
Read the full letter below.
CNN obtained the memo shortly after President Barack Obama announced from the White House that Treasury Secretary Jack Lew requested Miller's resignation.
May 15, 2013The internal message to IRS Employees from Acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller
Dear Colleagues,
It is with regret that I will be departing from the IRS as my acting assignment ends in early June. This has been an incredibly difficult time for the IRS given the events of the past few days, and there is a strong and immediate need to restore public trust in the nation's tax agency. I believe the Service will benefit from having a new Acting Commissioner in place during this challenging period. As I wrap up my time at the IRS, I will be focused on an orderly transition.
While I recognize that much work needs to be done to restore faith in the IRS, I don't want anyone to lose sight of the fact that the IRS is comprised of incredibly dedicated and hard-working public servants. During my 25-year IRS career, I am profoundly proud to have worked alongside you and to be part of an institution that has worked hard to support the nation. I have strong confidence in the IRS leadership team to continue the important work of our agency.
I want to thank everyone for all of their support and friendship during my career in government service. And I especially want to thank each and every one of you for your continued commitment to the nation's taxpayers.
Steve
Does anyone else find this letter odd?
"Restore faith in IRS" LoL. What Faith?
News flash, Steve, a mere change in the "acting leadership role" is not going to inspire any confidence in the IRS. It's based on the mistaken assumption that the People ever had any level of confidence in the tax system. Given that no one likes taxes, even those that recognize the need, "confidence" simply isn't a word that applies, even under the best of circumstances. Recent events have shown that if a bureaucracy can be corrupted, it will be...and it has been. The mere notion that the recent bad faith actions were done solely on the authority of a few rogue agents insults our collective intelligence. Bureaucrats, being the self-serving animals that they are, never stick their necks out, never vary from the rule book, unless someone above them told them to or because the rules allowed for it. So we can deduce that th rogue agents had the permission of their immediate supervisors and very likely, their managers also had a hand in it. The higher one goes up in the organization, the less adherence to the rules is expected. At the very least, we can logical deduce that someone in the White House, likely the Chief of Staff, both knew and approved of these tactics. Is it possible that Obama knew? Probably not. If there's anything we've learned, especially from Holder's recusal before bugging the AP's telephones, is that the very top levels of government are being kept int he dark. Plausible deniability isn't just a theory in this Administration. It is being lived and breathed by the President, cabinet secretaries and their aides. None of which relieves them of responsibility. Clearly Holder knew what was going to happen and he knew it was going to violate his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. He recused himself knowing that the first Amendment was going to be assaulted. Likewise, it's highly likely that Obama knew that the IRS would be up to no good, even if he did not know the specifics. He should be packing his bags now, as should Holder. Their careers are over.
So this fellow gets to save face by retiring with full benefits....... yep.... yep
Granted that this should not have happened but it took a left liberal group 18 months to receive their status.
Tea trolls are traitors who were hiding under rocks until the black man rose to be president. If they had been doing whatever it is that they think they do against the government with the flake fro MN front and center while the shrub #43 was holding court I wouldn't see them as racist traitors.
i understand this guy's time was up, anyway..makes a mockery of Obama's grandstanding that he was being "let go".
The irs head leader resigns what now, after you all was sneatch on now you are leaving on good terms so sad.
Resignation my butt – his six month term was over in June. Typical BO grand standing.
The sad thing is the IRS targeted the progressives groups under Bush and no one lost their job!!! It happens on both side of the isle, but for some reason the GOP always get their way. Just like kids if you cry long and hard enough you get what you want.
Why doesn't the congress subpoena the former commissioner who had been on the job since 2008, and just left in November – a year before his term ended? Oh, that's right he was a bush appointee, and therefore needs to be protected from those nasty old "libruls" who might ask real questions such as "why were all teabag groups granted tax exempt status while liberal groups were denied?" According to the rethugs the guy shouldn't be called at all, and if he is, he DESERVES to be treated with kid gloves while they continue to obfuscate.
troy
An innocent scape goat! While the real culprits remain distant from the crime scene
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Yeah, like the bush appointee who was in charge when this skulduggery took place, and allowed to resign in November. The guy who just resigned was the INTERIM, and no permenant replacement had been named. The person who recommended him for the interim position is also a "culprit" in my opinion.
I see the millionaires are out this morning with their time-honored calls for a flat-tax. AKA "fair tax". Fair to millionaires, maybe, but not to working men and women.
One fellow has even insisted that the IRS is an "unnecessary evil". Well, gee, how would we pay for all of Issa's kangaroo-court hearings without tax collection? Think of the consequences, conservatives!
Malory Archer
Yeah, like the bush appointee who was in charge when this skulduggery took place, and allowed to resign in November. The guy who just resigned was the INTERIM, and no permenant replacement had been named. The person who recommended him for the interim position is also a "culprit" in my opinion.
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Typical lib response, Bush, Bush, Bush. Do you have no intellectualy honesty to see what is happening in front of your face and call it for what it is? Truly pathetic...
Moderately Amused
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Typical lib response, Bush, Bush, Bush. Do you have no intellectualy honesty to see what is happening in front of your face and call it for what it is? Truly pathetic...
I'm sorry, but I fail to see the intellectual dishonesty in stating facts when I can clearly see what's going on in front of my face – namely the rethugs are once again playing politics, and you're right – it truly is pathetic. And it begs the question, why won't they call him? What are they (and you) afraid of?
"The mere notion that the recent bad faith actions were done solely on the authority of a few rogue agents insults our collective intelligence."
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Ahh, I remember back to the Abu Graib scandal, when Bush assured us it was "just a few bad apples." You guys on the right were all too eager to believe that one, though, right?
Not sure why the commissioner under Bush didn't resign for the crap the IRS did against liberal groups!! Why is it the repubes only attack when it is against democrats or other groups they don't like, but when its a repube doing the same thing they look away. I never saw Bush come out and condone what the IRS did to left leaning groups! The repubes are a joke of a party!!
Arun
Not sure why the commissioner under Bush didn't resign for the crap the IRS did against liberal groups!!
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Don't forget – he was ALSO the same guy who was in charge when this mess was happening. He just resinged his post 6 months ago – a year before his appointment ended no less!
The IRS was doing its job! I am so disgusted with the Repubs and now the media who are making this story grow legs. Why shouldn't any group with a politically affiliated name be "targeted" to make sure they deserve tax exempt status – isn't that what this is about? Afterall, the Tea Partiers are the ones that claim they hate taxes so wouldn't they do whatever they could get away with to not pay any – and these are the same people that call 47% of us moochers!! This is just another distraction and stall tactic by the GOP because they can't the fact that President Obama has an agenda to help the people of this country. They don't know how to govern and have no interest in doing anything to move this country forward – all they want is the power and to engage in more wars to line their pockets. They should all be thrown in jail for treason as they have usurped our Democracy and the will of the majority. Sick of it all!!!!
He was leaving anyway. This is just smoke and mirrors from the corrupt Obama WH. The IRS codes call for fines and jail time, not retiring a few months later and pretending that it was a firing!
If one is fired, how does one have time to write a letter of resignation? Further, I'd be curious to know if he will be receiving any retirement benefits (i wouldn't think so if fired). Can someone enlighten me on this?
This isn't a resignation letter. It's a thank you letter to all the IRS personnel. Anyone that's been to a change of command ceremoney knows that these are the types of things, sans the trouble part of the letter, that commanders tell their troops before departing. The only difference is that this is in written form and being used as indication that this administration is "doing something". This is BS!