No newspaper has been more adamant about holding the IRS accountable for its political targeting than The Post.
And no paper has been more dubious about the Justice Department’s commitment to an honest investigation under Attorney General Eric Holder.
Now we add one more to this roster: No one is more opposed than we are to new calls by some Republicans in Congress for a special prosecutor.
We get the impatience and frustration. And we understand why some believe a special prosecutor is the way to stop the stonewalling and get real results.
But over at National Review, Andy McCarthy — the man who successfully prosecuted the blind sheik for the first World Trade Center attack — warns this would be a big mistake. In “The ‘Independent’ Counsel Mirage,” McCarthy puts it this way:
“You can have political accountability for abuses of power or you can have an ‘independent’ counsel and ‘the process.’
“Political accountability is driven by congressional investigations and court cases brought by citizens whose rights have been trampled. It is messy, combative and political, but the malfeasance it uncovers can result in the removal of corrupt officials from power.”
We’re with McCarthy. Let Congress use all its powers, which include not just holding hearings but cutting the IRS budget, as it has started to do. Let targeted citizens use the courts, which are now forcing the IRS to deliver explanations under oath.
And let no one stop these efforts — which are finally yielding results — the way turning the mess over to an unaccountable special prosecutor would.