Wednesday, May 22, 2013

IRS's own internal probe ended in May 2012, six months before election, but was hidden



Tempers flared in a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing Wednesday, with members on both sides of the aisle castigating the Internal Revenue Service for targeting conservative groups with special scrutiny, and then hiding the practice from Congress.

Rep. Darrel Issa, the committee's chairman, said that the committee learned just yesterday that the IRS completed its own investigation a year before a Treasury Department Inspector General report was completed.

But despite the IRS recognizing in May 2012 that its employees were treating right-wing groups differently from other organizations, Issa said, IRS personnel withheld those conclusions from legislators.

'Just yesterday the committee interviewed Holly Paz, the director of exempt organizations, rulings and agreements, division of the IRS,' Issa said. 'While a tremendous amount of attention is centered about the Inspector General's report, or investigation, the committee has learned from Ms. Paz that she in fact participated in an IRS internal investigation that concluded in May of 2012 - May 3 of 2012 - and found essentially the same thing that Mr. George found more than a year later.'

J. Russell George, Douglas Shulman, Lois Lerner and Neal Wolin (left to right) appeared before the House Oversight Committee, but Lerner refused to answer questions
U.S. Treasury Inspector-General for Tax Administration J. Russell George, former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, Director of Exempt Organizations for the Internal Revenue Service Lois Lerner and U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin (left to right) appeared before the House Oversight Committee, but Lerner refused to answer questions


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2329067/Congress-hosts-IRS-bloodbath-slamming-tax-authorities-partisan-targeting-conservatives-official-refuses-answer-questions.html#ixzz2U2C9UJwF
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