Fox News "On the Record with Greta van Susteren - Transcript: IRS Targeting Scandal and the Federal Election Commission

Interview

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN,FOX NEWS HOST: Tonight: The IRS targeting investigation just got bigger and just got worse! Now the Federal Election Commission caught in the web of scandal, too, the House Oversight Committee demanding the FEC turn over records of its communications with the IRS and setting a deadline of August 21.

Congressman Jim Jordan co-signed the committee's letter to the FEC. He joins us. Good evening, sir.

REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OHIO: Good to be with you, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: OK, this letter today to the chairman of the FEC -- why did you send it, to Ellen Weintraub?

JORDAN: Well, I mean, Greta, you got to remember, Lois Lerner, the lady who first broke the story with the planted question at a speech she was giving about the targeting of conservative groups then started the false narrative about just being two rogue agents, then took the 5th Amendment, wouldn't answer our questions in front of our committee, wouldn't answer to the American people -- now we know she was communicating with someone in the counsel's office at the Federal Elections Commission about the status of groups seeking tax-exempt status!

So this is the same Lois Lerner who prior to working at the IRS worked at the Federal Elections Commission! So we want all this information. We want every single email she has sent so we can get to the bottom of this story!

VAN SUSTEREN: OK. In your letter dated today, it says that the -- that William Powers, an FEC official in the office of the general counsel...

JORDAN: Right.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... emailed Lois Lerner, then director of the IRS exempt organizations division, on February 3rd, 2009. Do you know what they -- what he e-mailed her about?

JORDAN: Well, we seem to think it's talking about American Issues Project, a conservative organization, again, looking at their ability to get tax-exempt status. So just the fact, though, that she's communicating, as one of the other FEC commissioners said, this is highly unusual. This is out of the ordinary that she's communicating with someone in the chief counsel's office about someone seeking tax-exempt status. That's an IRS question. It has nothing to do with the Federal Elections Commission.

Here's what scares us. We now believe there is evidence that suggests that this is -- as we're talking about tonight, this is broader and deeper than just the IRS. We have the Security and Exchange Commission, which was looking at this -- this -- this whole issue, as well. Now we have the Federal Elections Commission.

And last week, when I had the privilege of being on your show, Greta, we talked about Catherine Englebrecht in Houston, Texas, who faced the full weight of the federal government simply for starting an organization called True the Vote. She was visited by ATF, FBI, OSHA, EPA, the full weight of the federal government!

This is what's most chilling. And now again, more and more evidence suggests it's not just isolated to the IRS but may include the Security and Exchange Commission and the Federal Elections Commission.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, is it -- is -- do you read in this -- in this letter -- I mean, what I think is so notable about this letter is that it talks about this February 3rd, 2009, e-mail from the FEC to Lois Lerner, then at the IRS. But it references back to July -- the preceding July, which would be July 2008...

JORDAN: Right.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... some communication that the FEC and the IRS are having. Now, this predates President Obama's November 2008 election. Does that signal to you that at least it doesn't go as high as the White House? He wasn't even president then.

JORDAN: Well, it may. But what we do know is that there's communication going on, and that's not appropriate. And we know it's communication about a question that should be totally dealt with in the Internal Revenue Service. That's what -- that's what most concerns us.

But if it is referencing something before then -- again, remember, Lois Lerner worked at the Federal Elections Commission before she went to the IRS. So maybe she's -- she's -- she's, you know, goes (INAUDIBLE) she's concerned about this.

But the point is, there's coordination between these two -- at least what appears to be some coordination between two different federal agencies.

VAN SUSTEREN: In terms of the response that you want, you want the response back by August 21st?

JORDAN: We want -- last week, Greta, I had a chance in committee to question acting commissioner Danny Werfel, and I said, Why don't we have all of Lerner's emails today? It would seem to me the lady who's been at the center of the storm, the first thing you would have done as commissioner when you came in, Mr. Werfel, is send us all her e-mails!

Who's she been talking to? What's she been saying? She is the lady who took the 5th. If you truly want to, as the president said, get to the bottom of this and work hand in hand with Congress, you would think that'd be the first thing you would send us! They have yet to send us all her e- mails!

VAN SUSTEREN: All right...

JORDAN: And there is no excuse for us not having that information!

VAN SUSTEREN: I'm totally with you on this transparency stuff that they all talk about is just -- I mean, it's so -- I mean, I -- you know, I've had it. I'm up to my -- you know, over my head (INAUDIBLE) It just doesn't happen. I mean, you're not getting information. Lois Lerner takes the 5th.

Look, I'm totally with you on it. You're not getting information. What I don't understand -- let me give you a little hard time -- is that in this letter to the chairwoman of the FEC, you all say that she has by noon on August 21st, 2013, to respond. Nobody's even going to be here in Washington on that date. Nobody's coming back until September. So why do you want it by August 21st?

JORDAN: Well, we'd like it sooner. That's just the date that we picked -- that our committee picked to give them some amount of time to get this information to us. But remember, our committee staff...

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, it's just going to sit there...

JORDAN: ... is still in Washington. We're all still working on this, even though we're not in Washington.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, well, that's just sort of my -- I mean, that's sort of my sort of my side jab to everybody not working and taking a vacation, the fact that -- you know, I fear that just the Capitol guards are going to be looking at it. But I agree that they ought to comply. They ought to comply...

JORDAN: No, no.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... quickly, but...

JORDAN: Our staff will be looking at it.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well, anyway, Congressman, good luck, and let us know when the FEC does comply with it so that we can figure out -- I mean, maybe for once and for all we'll get some answers...

JORDAN: We will.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... all this emailing go back and forth. Thank you, sir.

JORDAN: Thank you.

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