On May 10, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued an apology for closely scrutinizing of those applications that included “Tea Party” and other conservative search terms for tax-exempt status four years ago. The news dominated the newspapers, the Internet and the U.S. politics. The U.S. Congress held a televised hearing on the subject of unfair practices and abuse of power, and the President released the Acting Director of the IRS of his duties. Some of the IRS employees exercised their Fifth Amendment rights at the Congressional hearing. The IRS is expected to apply the tax law in a neutral manner. At the writing of this, no charges have been filed against any employees. Three Congressional Committees and the Department of Justice are reviewing any employees violated the law. Federal employees are protected by a 1978 law and a 1972 Supreme Court decision that give 30 days to employees to respond to any allegations. The IRS employees also have the right to appeal any decision to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Besides the IRS scandal, the Obama Administration is also dealing with a controversy over Benghazi Embassy killings and several other issues.