Finance Republicans Seek Probe Of White House Access To Taxpayer Data

Senate Finance Republicans have sent a letter to J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, asking him to review whether the Obama administration illegally accessed and disclosed confidential taxpayer information.

The inquiry stems from reports quoting a White House officials that described the tax structure of Koch Industries Inc., a closely held corporation whose details are not publicly available.

"Taxpayer confidentiality laws are strict, in part to prevent the use of tax information for political gain," a release on the letter states. "The official appeared to indicate knowledge of Koch Industries' tax structure beyond what is publicly available."

Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the committee's ranking member, Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Jim Bunning (Ky.), Michael Enzi (Wyo.), John Cornyn (Texas), and John Ensign (Nev.) signed the letter.There is more here