Cruz blasted the rejection of the special counsel request. DOJ rejects Cruz's IRS probe request

The Department of Justice has denied Sen. Ted Cruz’s request for a special prosecutor to probe allegations that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups, according to a letter sent to the Texas Republican and shared with POLITICO.

Cruz, a firebrand conservative and possible 2016 presidential contender who has been making the rounds in early primary states, sent a letter earlier this year to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to “act to preserve the integrity of the Department of Justice and immediately appoint a special prosecutor, with meaningful independence,” to handle the IRS probe.


In a letter dated March 10, the Justice Department replied that “a Special Counsel may be appointed when an investigation or prosecution by the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interest, or in other extraordinary circumstances, such that the public interest would be served by such an appointment.”

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Noting that such “authority has rarely been exercised,” the letter — signed by Peter J. Kadzik, principal deputy assistant attorney general — continued: “After consideration of your request, in light of the regulatory standard set forth above, we have concluded that such an appointment is not warranted.”

Justice added that the investigation is being handled by “career prosecutors and law enforcement professionals.”

The IRS scandal, which broke last year, outraged Republicans and has been conservative red meat ever since. More than 50 House Republicans have also signed a letter asking for a special prosecutor. While some liberal groups also appeared to be targeted, Republicans maintain that conservative organizations received the bulk of the scrutiny.

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Cruz, who like many conservatives has been hammering President Barack Obama’s administration over the IRS scandal for months, blasted the rejection of the special counsel request as the “height of hypocrisy.”

He has joined several of his colleagues in painting the lead investigator, who has contributed to the president in the past, as a “partisan Democrat.” Cruz’s team also argues that beyond perceptions of conflicts of interest, the matter should rise to the level of “extraordinary circumstances.”

“Both Nixon administration Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Clinton administration Attorney General Janet Reno appointed special prosecutors whose integrity was beyond reproach; Eric Holder should do likewise,” Cruz said.