Tipton Votes to Hold Lois Lerner in Contempt of Congress, Calls for Special Counsel Investigation into IRS

WASHINGTON—Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03) voted to instruct the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel to investigate the targeting of non-profit conservative organizations by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), when those groups were operating fully within the scope of the law. Tipton also voted to hold Lois Lerner, the Former Director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

In 2010, the IRS began targeting certain 501(c)(4) organizations for additional surveillance and audits, and deliberately delayed processing the applications of certain groups applying for non-profit status.  Subsequent investigations by the House Committee on Ways and Means uncovered that of the groups targeted for additional scrutiny by the IRS, 83 percent were politically conservative, and of those audited, 100 percent were conservative. Lois Lerner served as Director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS from 2006 to 2013—which oversaw these applications.

“What the IRS did was wrong whether aimed at conservative groups, liberal groups or any group legally attempting to express their viewpoints. The agency singled-out groups that the current Administration didn’t agree with, to silence voices, to stifle civic discussion,” said Tipton. “This was an appalling abuse of power, it was illegal, and those responsible have still not been held accountable. The full scope of this scandal has still yet to be realized. One thing is certain, this can never happen again and those responsible must face consequences for their actions. It’s time for the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel to conduct a criminal investigation into what went on at the IRS and provide the American people with the answers they deserve.”

In emails obtained by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Lois Lerner instructed the Office of the Chief Counsel to get involved in the targeting of conservative non-profits, and wrote, “Tea Party Matter very dangerous.”

“Lois Lerner played a central role in the targeting of certain non-profit organizations. Despite this, Lerner has refused to testify in Congress and answer questions about her involvement and the scope of the IRS assault on the First Amendment,” said Tipton. “The information she has refused to disclose to Congress, information unique to her position, is critically important to the ongoing investigation in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Lois Lerner is in contempt of Congress and must be held accountable, as must all who were involved in this betrayal of the American people’s trust by the federal government.”

Background:

Tipton was one of the first in Congress to bring attention to the targeting of non-profit organizations by the IRS. He submitted comments for the record during a March 22, 2012, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight hearing on Internal Revenue Service Operations and the 2012 Tax Return Filing Season.

In addition to these comments, Tipton joined a number of his House colleagues in an April 23, 2012, letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman. The IRS sent a lengthy bureaucratic response on June 15, 2012, claiming no wrongdoing.

Tipton has called for a full investigation into the IRS scandal numerous times. In February, Tipton voted to pass the IRS Act of 2014 (H.R. 3865), to prohibit the Administration from implementing proposed rules that would essentially codify the IRS practice of targeting conservative groups with unprecedented scrutiny.

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