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Of all the current Washington scandals, the one involving the IRS appears to have the most staying power. It rolls into one package an agency many love to hate, partisan suspicions and the American appetite for conspiracies.

A long week of scandal has been tough on more than just the White House. President Obama's allies are struggling with how to respond to their first taste of really bad news within the administration.

The political arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation wants GOP leaders to set aside legislation like the farm bill that might turn attention away from questions about the IRS and Benghazi.

"I think we overreached in '98 — how's that for a quote you can use?" the former House speaker says of the Clinton impeachment. Now he tells fellow Republicans that they need to be "calm and factual" as they pursue answers from the Obama administration about the IRS and other scandals.

Steven Miller, who was forced to submit his resignation as head of the agency this week, testified before Congress. Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are angry over the agency's targeting of conservative groups.

The Justice Department is investigating the IRS's flagging of grass-roots conservative groups that sought nonprofit status. But some lawmakers want the debate extended to look at the well-financed activities of existing 501(c)(4) groups that spent millions in the 2012 elections.

The president names Daniel Werfel to replace outgoing acting commissioner Steven Miller, who was ousted Wednesday in the wake of a scandal over IRS scrutiny of conservative groups.

The president says the resignation of Steve Miller is part of a larger effort to make sure the IRS never again engages in partisan targeting of certain groups.

The White House has released 100 pages of internal emails related to the development of talking points after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last year. President Barack Obama also addressed the controversy surrounding the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups. Audie Cornish talks to Scott Horsley.

Among the things we learned about the IRS from the inspector general's report was that their boss told the group of employees at the controversy's heart to stop their dubious practices. Which they did, for a little while at least.