In a White House press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, President Barack Obama said that if IRS personnel engaged in the political targeting of conservative groups, it was "outrageous" and "contrary to our traditions" of a neutral and non-partisan IRS.
"I don't care whether you're a Democrat, independent, or Republican," he said. "If you've got the IRS operating in anything less than a neutral and non-partisan way, then that is outrageous, it's contrary to our traditions, and people have to held accountable, and it's got to be fixed."
Obama was also asked about the GOP's Benghazi talking points investigation. Unlike the IRS issue, Obama dismissed the GOP investigation as "a political circus."
"The whole issue of talking points ... has been a side show," Obama said. "There's no there, there." Obama said that the talking points used by Susan Rice "pretty much matched the assessments that I was receiving at that time in my presidential daily briefing."
Obama dismissed the idea that he'd engaged in a coverup, pointing out that three days after Rice's talk show appearance, the administration presented newly obtained information in Congressional testimony that the attack was an act of terrorism carried out by extremists. "The fact that this continues to get churned out has a lot to do with political motivations," Obama said. Instead of using Benghazi for "fundraising," Obama suggested his critics should sit down with him to talk about how to prevent the next attack.