Ohio Senator Rob Portman said on Sunday that a special counsel will be necessary to properly look into the misconduct of the Internal Revenue Service.
Appearing on ABC's "This Week," the Republican Portman said that many questions remain unanswered after the IRS admitted this week to targeting conservative groups for auditing.
"I also think that special counsel is going to end up being necessary here, because it has to be independent of the White House," Portman said. "What we do know is that politics was put ahead of the public interest."
But New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez said that the main goal of any investigation should be how to adjust the laws governing tax-exempt status.
"I think there are two scandals here. And clearly what the IRS did in this regard is absolutely wrong and it's outrageous. It's a lack of management," Menendez said. "But there's second scandal, and that fact is, is that hundreds of millions of dollars had been used in C-4s that are supposed to be used a non-profit social welfare entities for political purposes."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.