IRS official Lois Lerner placed on administrative leave
Washington (CNN) – The Internal Revenue Service official overseeing the unit that targeted conservative groups for several years beginning in the spring of 2010 has been placed on administrative leave, according to Congressional sources in both parties.
Lois Lerner was the director of exempt organizations when the agency filtered applications for tax exempt status for words such as "patriot" and "tea party."
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She publicly revealed the targeting two weeks ago in her answer to a planted question at a bar association event in Washington shortly before an inspector general report on the matter was made public.
The agency's new acting director announced late Thursday he was appointing Ken Corbin, who was deputy director of unit which processes tax returns and payments, to oversee the exempt organizations unit.
Lerner appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday and stated she had not broken any laws or agency regulations. She then invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions.
Republicans questioned whether she waived that right by making her opening statement.
Committee Chairman Darrell Issa will call her back to testify before the committee, his spokesman said earlier on Thursday.
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sure, they mean, a vcation on taxpayers expense
Take one for the Team, be sure a never testify as it may implicate someone higher up, and you will be rewarded nicely. Just wait to see this truth.
It's funny how conservatives defend the Second Amendment to the death, but they like to ignore the Fifth Amendment when it becomes inconvenient for them.
I hope it's nice under the bus
Should have been WITHOUT pay.
She should target those wacko tea party people it won't be long till they are more of a threat to America than actual terrorist!!!!!!
PAID leave no doubt. These Feds are shameless. If you're a contract employee with the government and you put an hour in the wrong column of your timesheet, your terminated and accused of fraud.
How nice... now we can pay her to sit at home doing nothing for all that money instead of actually having her work...
I'd give her the Medal of Freedom, or invent some new, better medal: the Medal of Outstanding Awesomeness. Targeting conservative groups should be standard operating procedure at the IRS. Let these true 'patriots' eat more taxes.
She should be fired immediately!
Lerner will be rewarded for her work in due time. Few years from now when this is all forgotten, Lerner will get her cushy 6 figure job with the DNC for a job well done.
Another face in the crowd of the corrupt Obama administration.
Code word for being paid on vacation.
Almost glad that this administration will have the most criminal allegations and hopefully; prosecutions in the 2-3 years following their rein. It will make "Amerika" so much stronger, so much more robust. Since we truly have a stained house and a black eyed DOJ and now a grizzly treasury dept.
Great Job Baby! Have an indefinite PAID VACATION on the tax payers who's civil rights you obstructed for 3 years!
Funny little liars. Hillary falls down, hits her head and Learner is put on administrative leave when the heat is turned up. I am sure they aren't hiding a thing. Time to waterboard them to get the truth. Before you say it, It is not Bush's fault and I am not a racist.
This should give her more time for testifying.
My understanding is that you cannot have it both ways - present a defense to a Congressional hearing and THEN invoke your Fifth Amendment rights. But in any case, she should be told that if she chooses that route, then she'll have to pay for her own attorneys to defend the position in any legal action, that the administration and the government will not aid her in that pursuit.
As with any other criminal, she needs to be arrested, charged and then you will hear her sing. Enough is enough. This administration is quick to grab the spotlight when things go well but when things go bad, nobody ever knows anything. Where does the accountability start? Wake up America.......
Probably will be paid, and getting GS 14 of GS-15 pay. Nice waste of tax payer dollars
Will she be another criminal Obama administration person placed on administrative leave but still paid? Sounds like a paid vacation to me.
IRS reject any filings from any group related to or indirectly related to a tea party or someone with ANY POLITICAL TIES OR AGENDAS!!No 501(c)(4) will be approved and summons and internal IRS investigations to those disapproved to make sure it doesn't happen again period!!That's from me an American tax payer tired of Issas crap and let's put a stop to him and his committes before he really gets out of hand,stop this cherade now Issa you're outta control but so are republicans wouldn't you agree!!
Congress is not a court, different branch. Most congressional hearings are kangaroos courts intended to prove a subject and not relying of facts or truths. I am glad she refused to be cross examined.
The Post column gave this and several other Lerner claims a rating of "four Pinocchios," which is the worst score given by the newspaper's fact-check column.
Well, you got another head to roll Congressman Issa.......hope you feel better now. Makes me wonder how you will react when they come for your head? Just a matter of time you know........McCarthy threw his weight around just like you are doing now.......you might want to think about how it ended for him. Will we one day be referring to "Issaism"?