A Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says a Delaware tax auditor sought access to Christine O’Donnell’s federal tax records on a Saturday morning in 2010 just as she was launching her unsuccessful for a US Senate seat in Delaware.
The Wilmington News Journal reports that this suggests that the state’s interest in the Tea Party favorite’s IRS documents was not routine.
The paper reports that state Auditor David Smith, whose access to her federal taxes triggered an investigation by the US Treasury Department, sent his boss an email on Saturday morning March 20th 2010 seeking permission to get the federal tax records.
Finance Secretary Tom Cook, the paper says, approved the request by email that afternoon.
Finance department official said they routinely compare state and federal tax records for discrepancies and begin investigation based on that kind of information.