In a White House memo, President Obama stated that his administration was “committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government.” To achieve the consent of the governed, government must be transparent, participatory and collaborative. Unfortunately, over the last couple weeks, the president’s failure to meet this standard has been exposed across a wide array of government agencies. The IRS has been exposed for targeting right-leaning groups, the State Department has yet to come clean on Benghazi and a cabinet secretary is spending her time shaking down the private sector to support Obamacare, just to name a few. This is outrageous, unacceptable and I vow to work tirelessly to expose and remedy these wrongdoings. I will not tolerate this Chicago-style corruption. 

Last week, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was exposed for having targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt 501(c)(4) status for extra and unwarranted scrutiny during their application. So far, we know the bias dates back as far as 2011, and senior officials at the IRS have confirmed they were aware this targeting was occurring. This should shake the confidence of every American, Republican or Democrat.  If those who are privy to the most intimate details about our lives, as the IRS is, are allowed to decide who to subject to extra scrutiny simply on the basis of their political persuasion, it will forever destroy the trust of the American people. Several Congressional committees have started investigations and the Department of Justice has indicated it has opened a criminal probe into the wrongdoing. We must punish those who allowed this targeting to occur to the fullest extent possible to ensure this never happens again. Political witch hunts will never be tolerated in this country.

It is also just as disturbing the president claims to have first heard of this situation through a news report. If people in his administration believe they can protect him by withholding information about these wrongdoings, I strongly suggest he get new advisers who will make the transparency he claims to promote their top priority. Unfortunately, the administration’s self-serving, political agenda doesn’t stop there.

Last September, four American patriots, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed during a terrorist attack on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Just last week, a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing uncovered many inconsistencies in the administration’s account of what happened. Part of our responsibility to those who lost their lives is to work to answer the hard questions that still remain about what happened that night in Benghazi.

Our government failed these four men. While the cost of their lives can never be repaid, the president and the State Department have a responsibility to truthfully explain to the American people what they knew before the attacks, why more wasn’t done to secure our personnel, and what we have learned to help ensure a tragedy like this never occurs again. So far, the response and information from the administration has been less than forthcoming: first refusing to say that what occurred was a terrorist attack, then giving differing accounts of what and to whom additional security was requested. We now know that folks ready to assist were told to stand-down and that witnesses were told not to speak to members of the House conducting investigations. This is unacceptable.

My request to the Administration is simple and straightforward: keep your promise of transparency and tell the American people the truth. What did we know about the threat? What resources were in the area on the night of September 11, 2012 and why weren't they deployed? At what point did the president and State Department know about this attack? When were requests for reinforcements received? Why were those requests denied and who authorized their denial? Were talking points scrubbed by the administration? If so, why? The families of the four Americans who perished – and the American people – deserve answers. And I will continue to search for these answers.  

Almost lost in these other stories was news that Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has asked healthcare executives and charitable groups for donations to nonprofits that are helping to implement Obamacare because the HHS lacks sufficient taxpayer resources to implement this flawed law. Tennessee’s own Senator Lamar Alexander was right to ask for an investigation of the legality of this fundraising. Whether the fundraising is legal or not, however, it is troubling to see a Cabinet Secretary requesting donations from groups she could potentially oversee. This is not the behavior the American people expect out of their elected officials, we won’t tolerate it and it must change.

During these tough economic times, it’s very unfortunate that the ineptitude and deceitfulness of President Obama’s administration is a distraction. The Obama administration should be trying to get Americans back to work and put our fiscal house back in order, not using official resources to engage in partisan politicking. This is shameful, and it’s not the transparency we were promised. Please rest assured that I will continue to fight to uncover the truth.

Please feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family.