Sen. Joni Ernst. R-Iowa, told IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel this week that the agency "continuously fails to serve Americans" by refusing to provide information on the groups backing pro-Palestinian protests, The Daily Caller reports.
Ernst and 15 other senators wrote a letter to Werfel in May calling for information on the nonprofit organizations that are financially supporting various pro-Palestinian groups and protestors, and whether that support impacts their status as tax-exempt groups.
Werfel sent a response by letter earlier this month stating that the IRS would follow "standard procedure" and would be forwarding the request for information to another office, adding a note saying, "A referral does not necessarily mean we will conduct an examination."
Ernst responded with another letter, which was subsequently obtained by the Daily Caller, in which she criticized "the tone and brevity" of Werfel's response as "troubling," adding that it was "insufficient and insulting."
"The tone and brevity of your interim response is troubling, leaving us questioning the value of the information you provided and how serious your office takes oversight inquiries… The IRS continuously fails to serve Americans promptly," the senator wrote.
"Rather than sharing what the IRS is doing to enforce our tax laws, your staff's interim response flatly ignored the substance of our letter," Ernst continued. "When [nonprofit] entities throw their lot in with criminal organizations like Hamas, it is your responsibility to enforce tax law, without partisanship. Unfortunately, you are not honoring your duty in this manner."