It was on May 10, 2013, during a speech in front of the American Bar Association that Lerner first admitted to the improper targeting of conservative groups, which was done to pre-empt the damaging report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration on May 14.
The TIGTA report detailed the improper targeting, and the “Be on the Lookout” list, or BOLO, that called for singling out groups with “Tea Party” or “patriot” in their name.
In an email on the day of the admission, Lerner told an IRS staffer responding to a question from the Washington Post, she “can’t confirm that there was anyone on the other side of the political spectrum.” She later added, “The one with the names used were only know [sic] because they have been very loud in the press.”
Lerner retired from her post shortly after the scandal broke last year. Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Lerner for allegedly misleading investigators, including the inspector general.
Lerner has refused to answer questions from Congress, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, but only after proclaiming her innocence.
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