President Obama Discusses the Internal Revenue Service

Just after 6:00 PM ET, President Obama spoke from the East Room of the White House about the Treasury Department's review of the Internal Revenue Service.

"I’ve reviewed the Treasury Department watchdog’s report, and the misconduct that it uncovered is inexcusable," he said. "It’s inexcusable, and Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in any agency, but especially in the IRS, given the power that it has and the reach that it has into all of our lives. And as I said earlier, it should not matter what political stripe you’re from -- the fact of the matter is, is that the IRS has to operate with absolute integrity. The government generally has to conduct itself in a way that is true to the public trust. That’s especially true for the IRS."

The President laid out a series of steps aimed at holding the responsible parties accountable and putting new safeguards in place to prevent future issues.

Read more in the full remarks, or watch the statement.

President Barack Obama delivers a statement on the situation regarding the Internal Revenue Service after meeting with Senior Treasury officials, in the East Room of the White House, May 15, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)