Wetumpka, Alabama Tea Party president Becky Gerritson teared up Tuesday during her opening statement before the House Ways & Means Committee.
Gerritson recounted the invasive and intimidating requests by the IRS and said their actions indicate they were specifically attempting to stifle a particular point of view:
BECKY GERRITSON: [...] The individuals who sought to intimidate us were acting as they thought they should, in a government culture that has little respect for its citizens. Many of the agents and agencies of the federal government do not understand that they are servants of the people. They think they are our masters, and they are mistaken. I am not interested in scoring political points. I want to protect and preserve the America that I grew up in, the America of the people who crossed oceans and risked their lives to become a part of. And I am terrified it is slipping away. Thank you.