Recent revelations have cast serious doubt on the credibility of Senator John McCain and whether he knew and even encouraged IRS targeting of conservative and Tea Party groups. McCain staffers met with Lois Lerner for six hours some eleven days prior to McCain’s statement expressing his shock and dismay at the IRS’ unlawful targeting and intimidation. This serves as chilling confirmation of a suspicion Tea Party groups had all along: they were under fire from both sides of the establishment in Washington, D.C. Republicans and Democrats worked together to crush their common enemy, actual conservatives.
This new information prompts the most basic question: what did Senator McCain know about the IRS scandal and when did he know it? With McCain now officially seeking a near-record fifth term in the Senate, Arizonans deserve to know if their Senator encouraged the federal government to attack them based on their political leanings. Senator McCain must come clean immediately and disclose precisely his role in the IRS coverup. Anything less is an unacceptable intrusion on the right of every American to participate fully in our democracy.