Leaders from the Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to IRS Acting Administrator Daniel Werfel requesting information about the seizure. Mr. Werfel assumed his post last month after Commissioner Steven Miller was pushed out amid findings the IRS discriminated against Tea Party groups.
The investigation follows a recent class-action lawsuit filed in federal court by a California lawyer on behalf of an unnamed company. The suit claims the IRS seized the records when executing a warrant related to a former employee’s financial records. Plaintiffs say the alleged seizure violated the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unlawful searches.
“In light of these allegations and in anticipation of the IRS’s increased role in implementing healthcare under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we are writing to request information regarding your agency’s ability to both protect the confidential medical information of millions of Americans and respect the safeguards imposed by HIPAA,” committee leaders wrote in the letter.
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