The Director of Exempt Organizations for the Internal Revenue Service, the division that targeted conservative groups for additional scrutiny, says she did nothing wrong.
However, Lois Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination on Capitol Hill Wednesday and refused to answer questions about information she had previously provided on the practice to members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations and I have not provided false information to this or any other Congressional committee,” Lerner did say as she read from a statement during the hearing.
Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito says, at this point, there are too many unanswered questions about who knew what and when about IRS agents singling out Tea Party and other groups that sought tax exempt status.
“That’s the frustrating thing, is that we’re not getting the truth or it’s not all coming out at once,” Congresswoman Capito said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
She says the whole issue is about trust.
“Think of all the information we give to the government. If you feel like you could be targeted for specific types of information, I think that has a chilling effect on a lot of people,” the Republican Congresswoman said.
A report from the U.S. Inspector General shows Lerner learned about the practice of targeting conservative groups in June 2011 and requested changes to it but did not talk about what she knew with Congress, even when directly questioned.
The U.S. Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation focused on the actions of the IRS.