The IRS Scandal, Day 703

Washington Examiner, Lerner Pushed Treasury Watchdog to Back Off 'Targeting' Charge in Probe:

Former IRS senior executive Lois Lerner appeared to be pressuring Treasury Department inspector general investigators to back off their conclusion that the federal tax agency had improperly targeted conservative and Tea Party nonprofit tax exemption applicants.

In an email on Jan. 31, 2013, Lerner encouraged Troy Patterson of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to back off of his investigators' view that the tax agency was targeting political groups for excessive attention.

"We feel your folks are being too narrow in their view and have decided that because of the language on the earlier BOLO list regarding Tea Party, everything that followed was tainted. They seem to believe that if a case was initially sent to the advocacy group, but ultimately determined to be an approval, that our action in putting it into the advocacy group in the first place is incorrect, and illustrates 'targeting,'" she said.

"BOLO" was the tax agency's abbreviation for categories of nonprofit applicants to "be on the lookout" for as they were received.

PJ Media, Lerner Email Shows Attempt to Pressure IG Conclusions in IRS Targeting Scandal:

About 5 months before former director of the IRS exempt division Lois Lerner casually let slip the revelation that her department had been targeting conservative organizations for special scrutiny, she sent an email to the inspector general investigating the matter, accusing the IG of being “too narrow” in their scope of the targeting investigation, claiming that she was just doing her job.

It is unusual for the subject of an investigation to plead their case so directly with the inspector general. But the email also shows that Lerner was well aware of the problems in her office with targeting and was looking for a break from the IG in reaching his conclusions.

• American Thinker, Lerner Email Shows Interference in Inspector General's Investigation

• The IRS Scandal, Day 702 (Apr. 11, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 701 (Apr. 10, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 601-700 (Dec. 31, 2014 - April 9, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 501-600 (Sept. 22, 2014-Dec. 30, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 401-500 (June 14, 2014 - Sept. 21,2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 301-400 (Mar. 6, 2014 - June 13, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 201-300 (Nov. 26, 2013 - Mar. 5, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 101-200 (Aug. 18, 2013 - Nov. 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 1-100 (May 10, 2013 - Aug. 17, 2013)