The Internal Revenue Service will give documents and emails from former IRS official Lois Lerner to the House Ways and Means Committee, House Republicans announced Friday.
The news was released
in a statement from committee Chairman Dave Camp, a Michigan Republican, who said the IRS was finally handing over the documents he requested months ago, as his committee continues its investigation into the
IRS' targeting of conservative groups.
"From the few Lerner documents we have received, we know that Washington, D.C., orchestrated the targeting of groups applying for tax-exempt status, surveillance of existing tax-exempt groups and formed the proposed 501(c)(4) rules designed to push conservative groups out of the public forum," Camp said.
"The remaining documents are key to determining the level of wrong doing and deception committed by this agency," he added.
Camp sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel on Feb. 24 saying that the agency needed to release the documents that the House Ways and Means Committee had requested on numerous occasions or the congressman would consider issuing a subpoena for them.
Lerner appeared for the second time before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday, and refused again to answer any questions by citing
her Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a Kansas Republican, told Newsmax on Wednesday that
Lerner is "clearly hiding something."
"The question is how far up the administration food chain does this extend? It must be pretty high and she's covered for folks," the Kansas Republican added.
Lerner retired from her post in September.
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