[h=3]By JARED A. FAVOLE And SIOBHAN HUGHES[/h]WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama this week will name a new acting commissioner to head the Internal Revenue Service, according to a senior administration official.
The official wouldn't say who would be named to succeed Steven Miller. Mr. Miller resigned Wednesday over the IRS's scrutiny of conservative groups, which the agency has acknowledged was improper.
Mr. Obama called the IRS's actions intolerable in a statement Wednesday night. "It's inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," Mr. Obama said.
He said he would work with Congress to fix the problems at the IRS.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder raised the possibility that IRS officials could face criminal prosecution if they made false statements to Congress.
Republican lawmakers are planning a broad investigation of the matter and stepped up their criticism Thursday. They also raised the possibility that the IRS gave journalists confidential information about conservative groups involved in the 2012 elections.
"There's going to be a complete and thorough investigation of this in Congress—not only who above may have known about it, but what the rank-and-file believed was their mission," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at a news conference Thursday with tea-party groups.
An IRS spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment.
Republicans said they believed the Obama administration's IRS was using its power to hurt Mr. Obama's enemies and help its friends.
"I think it is indicative of a pattern in this administration of a willingness to employ the machinery of government for Chicago-style politics to punch one's political enemies, and that is wrong," Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) told reporters when asked whether the IRS had tried to sway the election in Mr. Obama's favor.
The official wouldn't say who would be named to succeed Steven Miller. Mr. Miller resigned Wednesday over the IRS's scrutiny of conservative groups, which the agency has acknowledged was improper.
Mr. Obama called the IRS's actions intolerable in a statement Wednesday night. "It's inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it," Mr. Obama said.
He said he would work with Congress to fix the problems at the IRS.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder raised the possibility that IRS officials could face criminal prosecution if they made false statements to Congress.
Republican lawmakers are planning a broad investigation of the matter and stepped up their criticism Thursday. They also raised the possibility that the IRS gave journalists confidential information about conservative groups involved in the 2012 elections.
"There's going to be a complete and thorough investigation of this in Congress—not only who above may have known about it, but what the rank-and-file believed was their mission," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at a news conference Thursday with tea-party groups.
An IRS spokeswoman didn't respond to a request for comment.
Republicans said they believed the Obama administration's IRS was using its power to hurt Mr. Obama's enemies and help its friends.
"I think it is indicative of a pattern in this administration of a willingness to employ the machinery of government for Chicago-style politics to punch one's political enemies, and that is wrong," Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) told reporters when asked whether the IRS had tried to sway the election in Mr. Obama's favor.