Obama-era IRS scandal official now heading IRS ethics office: Never let it be said that the U.S. government doesn't hold itself accountable — wait, reverse that. Elizabeth Kastenberg, one of the IRS agents involved in the politically directed scrutiny of conservative groups under the Obama administration, is the new acting director of the Office of Professional Responsibility at the IRS. The 2012 scandal involved denying tax-exempt status to Tea Party-linked groups and audits that prevented groups from participating in the 2012 election. Also on the management team at the Office of Professional Responsibility is Jacqueline Bennett, who has called President Trump a psychopath and has a record of social media posts critical of conservatives. The IRS, it seems, is still a captured institution.