1. On May 10,2013, in a conference call with reporters, Lois Lerner apologized that Tea Party groups and other groups had been targeted for audits of their applications for tax-exemption.
18 Facts About Lois Lerner
1. 2.
Lois Lerner earned her JD from the Western New England College of Law.
3.
Lois Lerner then joined the Federal Election Commission's general counsel's office as an assistant general counsel in 1981.
4.
Lois Lerner spent twenty years at the FEC, being appointed Associate General Counsel for Enforcement in 1986.
5.
Lois Lerner was acting general counsel for the FEC for the first six months of 2001.
6.
Lois Lerner joined the Internal Revenue Service in 2001, as Director of Rulings and Agreements in the Exempt Organizations function of TEGE.
7.
In that capacity, Lois Lerner led an organization of 900 IRS tax law enforcement officials responsible for a broad range of compliance activities, including examining the operational and financial activities of exempt organizations, processing applications for tax exemption, providing direction through private letter rulings and technical guidance, and providing customer education and outreach to the exempt community.
8.
On May 10,2013, in advance of a public release of the audit findings, Lois Lerner answered a planted question at a meeting of the American Bar Association by stating that the IRS was "apologetic" for what she termed "absolutely inappropriate" actions.
9.
Lois Lerner said that the extra scrutiny had not been centrally planned and had been done by low-level "front-line people" in the Cincinnati office.
10.
On May 10,2013, in a conference call with reporters, Lois Lerner apologized that Tea Party groups and other groups had been targeted for audits of their applications for tax-exemption.
11.
On May 23,2013, the IRS placed Lois Lerner on paid administrative leave.
12.
Later, while still on administrative leave, Lois Lerner formally resigned, and retired from the IRS, effective September 23,2013.
13.
In May 2014, Lois Lerner was declared in contempt of Congress in connection with her invocation of her Fifth Amendment not to testify on the matter before a congressional committee.
14.
Machen disagreed with Issa's assertion that Lois Lerner had waived her constitutional right against self-incrimination by making an opening statement at a May 2013 hearing in which she made a brief opening remark proclaiming her innocence, before invoking her Fifth Amendment privilege.
15.
Lois Lerner did not waive her Fifth Amendment privilege by making general claims of innocence.
16.
Lois Lerner said that officials were examining the possibility of criminal activity.
17.
Lois Lerner is a past president of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws.
18.
Lois Lerner has stated she is "not a political person" but is a registered Democrat and has voted for candidates from both parties.