Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


           IRS Official Refuses to Testify to Congress About Scandal

   by Cindy Saine

   The official at the center of the storm over the U.S. tax collection
   agency's targeting of conservative Tea Party groups, Lois Lerner, has
   refused to testify before a tense congressional hearing on Capitol Hill
   where Democratic and Republican lawmakers expressed their anger and
   frustration.
   Word came Tuesday the Internal Revenue Service official everyone wanted
   to hear from the most, Lois Lerner, was going to invoke her fifth
   amendment constitutional right not to incriminate herself and was going
   to refuse to answer questions from the House Oversight and Government
   Reform Committee.
   Lerner, the IRS Director of Exempt Organizations, said her legal
   counsel had advised her not to answer any questions, but that did not
   mean she was guilty. She said,
   "I have not done anything wrong.  I have not broken any laws. I have
   not violated any IRS rules and regulations, and I have not provided
   false information to this or any other congressional committee."
   Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina was outraged that
   Lerner spoke on her own behalf and then refused to answer the panels'
   questions.
   He said, "She just testified. She just waived her 5th amendment right
   to privilege. You do not get to tell your side of the story and then
   not be subjected to cross examination. That is not the way it works."
   After a slight hesitation, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell
   Issa, a Republican, reluctantly dismissed Lerner, saying she has a
   right to invoke the 5th amendment.
   The Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the committee continued to
   hammer the other witnesses at the hearing, especially former IRS
   Commissioner Douglas Shulman, who left the agency in November when his
   term expired.
   Shulman conceded it was inappropriate for IRS officials to use a list
   of criteria, such as groups that had the word "Patriot" or "Tea Party"
   in their name, to face extra scrutiny, extra questions, and delays in
   having their tax-exempt status approved. But he denied that he had done
   anything wrong in not telling Congress about the practice, which he
   says he became aware of in the spring of 2012.
   Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts was furious. He
   said, "Sir, you misled Congress. You misled Congress, make no question
   about it. You told us one thing, [and] when you learned that our
   suspicions are true, when you learned that there was a list, you did
   nothing."
   Chairman Issa vowed his committee would keep investigating the IRS
   scandal until they find out who gave the order to target conservative
   groups. Tea Party activists have held rallies in a number of towns and
   cities this week to protest the IRS actions.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/irs-official-refuses-to-testify-to-co
   ngress-about-scandal/1666317.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/irs-official-refuses-to-testify-to-congress-about-scandal/1666317.html