U.S. tax chief fired over scandal

Washington's top tax official was fired on Wednesday as President Barack Obama sought to stem a rising tide of criticism over the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for special scrutiny.

Seeking to regain the initiative amid a series of controversies that have threatened his second-term agenda, Obama said new leadership was needed to restore public confidence in the IRS, whose reputation for political independence has suffered a major blow.

Obama said he had told his Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, to seek the resignation of Steven Miller, the acting IRS commissioner, and Lew had done so.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing like this happens again," Obama told reporters at the White House.
Obama spoke after meeting senior Treasury officials on how to quell the growing uproar after a government watchdog described how poor management led to an "inappropriate" focus on claims by conservative groups for tax-exempt status.

The Democratic president, who had been accused by Republican critics of reacting too passively to the scandal, called the misconduct "inexcusable."

Obama's announcement also followed stepped-up calls from Republican lawmakers for Miller and other top IRS officials to resign.