IRS Has Lost Public Confidence, Admits Treasury Secretary

So kill it

There's a "deficit of confidence" in the Internal Revenue Service as a result of the agency's increased pressure on certain groups applying for tax-exempt status, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said.

"It has to become a better customer service experience, it has to work well, and we know there's a deficit of confidence now that has to be rebuilt and that will be the job for the new commissioner of the IRS," Lew said during an appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival over the weekend.

Lew's comments come as the agency seeks to do damage control after admitting that IRS personnel in the agency's Cincinnati field office had been applying a higher level of scrutiny to groups applying for 501(c)(4) status that had words like "Tea Party" and "patriots" in their names.