Former head of IRS denies political motives in dealing with Tea Party

Steven Miller, ousted as acting head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service this week, denied Friday the IRS targeted the Tea Party for political reasons. Miller appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee. He acknowledged "mistakes" and "poor service," CBS News reported. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew requested Miller's resignation Wednesday. "I do not believe that partisanship motivated the people who engaged in the practices described in the treasury inspector general's report," Miller said. "I think that what happened here was that foolish mistakes were made by people trying to be more efficient in their workload selection. The listing described in the report, while intolerable, was a mistake and not an act of partisanship." Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., blasted the IRS, The Hill reported. He suggested the scandal at the agency is linked to other alleged misdeeds of the Obama administration in a "culture of cover-ups." Camp said Miller's resignation, the retirement of Joseph Grant, head of the IRS's tax-exempt division and other personnel changes will not solve the problem there. Camp said the IRS has become "too large, too powerful, too intrusive and too abusive." "Trimming a few branches will not solve the problem when the roots of the tree have gone rotten," Camp said.