Lois lerner emails
Lois Lerner was the Director of the Exempt Organizations Division at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from 2007 to 2013. In 2013, it was revealed that the IRS had targeted conservative political groups for extra scrutiny and delay in the processing of their tax-exempt status applications. This scandal led to widespread criticism and controversy.
As part of the investigation into the IRS's actions, Lois Lerner's emails were subpoenaed by Congress. However, in 2014, it was revealed that many of Lerner's emails from 2009 to 2011 were missing or had been deleted. This led to accusations that the IRS was trying to conceal evidence of wrongdoing.
In 2015, the IRS announced that it had recovered many of Lerner's missing emails, which were stored on a backup system. The recovered emails were released to Congress and the public in 2015 and 2016.
Some of the key findings from the recovered emails include:
- The IRS used inappropriate criteria to target conservative groups for extra scrutiny, including keywords such as "tea party" and "patriot."
- Lerner and other IRS officials were aware of the targeting and were involved in the decision-making process.
- The IRS used a "be on the lookout" (BOLO) list to identify and target conservative groups.
- Lerner and other IRS officials were in regular contact with the White House and other government agencies, including the Department of Justice, about the targeting.
- The IRS used a "Sensitive Issues" program to handle the targeting, which was not disclosed to Congress or the public.
The recovered emails also revealed that Lerner and other IRS officials were involved in a culture of secrecy and intimidation within the agency. For example, Lerner's emails showed that she and other officials were aware of the targeting and were trying to keep it secret from Congress and the public.
The IRS's handling of the targeting scandal and the missing emails led to widespread criticism and calls for accountability. In 2015, the IRS's Inspector General issued a report criticizing the agency's handling of the scandal and recommending reforms to prevent similar incidents in the future.
In 2017, the IRS's Commissioner, John Koskinen, resigned amid criticism over the agency's handling of the scandal. Lerner herself retired from the IRS in 2013 and has since been the subject of several congressional investigations and lawsuits.
Here are some key documents related to the Lois Lerner emails:
- The IRS's Inspector General report on the targeting scandal (2015)
- The recovered Lois Lerner emails (2015-2016)
- The House Oversight Committee's report on the targeting scandal (2014)
- The Senate Finance Committee's report on the targeting scandal (2014)
- Lois Lerner's testimony before Congress (2013)