Georgia Tea Party Groups Rally Against IRS Amid Scandal

The message of the day was clear – keep investigating and find out if the White House applied political pressure.

“Little people didn’t do this stuff, it comes from the top,” said protestor Janice Faircloth of Coweta County.

Several top IRS officials have already resigned and congressional hearings are ongoing. President Obama has denied any involvement or knowledge of the targeting as it was happening.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Eric Holder last week ordered a separate probe to investigate whether laws were broken.

But protestors like Henry Ashmore of Newnan said they were skeptical of Holder’s independence.

“We need a special prosecutor because I don’t think Holder will get to the bottom of this. I don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”

Many at the event spoke in broader political terms, saying the scandal represented a federal government run amok.

Bob Barr, the former Georgia congressman who is now once again running for office, painted a dark picture.

“The deep-seated systemic corruption that has infested not just this administration but so many in Washington, that’s why we need change in Washington.”

Barr referred to himself as an “impeachment manager.” While in Congress, Barr led efforts to impeach President Clinton. He vowed to pursue the scandal “like a bulldog” if elected back to Congress.

Gov. Nathan Deal also made an appearance, albeit with less rhetorical flare. His comments focused mostly on cleaning house at the IRS and establishing news rules and regulations.

“The one thing we don’t want in this country is for political party’s points of view to be prevalence, and to pervade, and to control the basic powers of government.”

The rally came just a day after congressional leaders expanded their probe to include years of records to find out if other groups have been unfairly targeted.