Article

2013-09-24 -Lurid Crime Tales-

Lois Lerner, IRS official at heart of tea party scandal, retires

[WASHINGTONTIMES] Lois G. Lerner, the woman at the center of the IRS tea party targeting scandal, retired from the agency Monday morning after an internal investigation found she was guilty of "neglect of duties" and was going to call for her ouster, according to congressional staff.

So she gets to keep her pension, then? That's justice, that is.

Her departure marks the first person to pay a significant price in the scandal, though Republicans were quick to say her decision doesn't put the matter to rest, and pointed out that she can still be called before Congress to testify.

The IRS confirmed Ms. Lerner's retirement in a statement, but said it couldn't release any more information because of privacy concerns.

But Rep. Sander Levin, ranking Democrat on the HouseBoodle Central, said an Accountability Review Board set up to investigate the people at the agency involved with the scandal, completed their review and were set to recommend her ouster. The review board, though, found no evidence of political bias, he said.

Ms. Lerner was head of the exempt organizations division of the IRS, which oversaw applications for tax-exempt status, including those from political groups.

Several congressional committees had been looking into her behavior and into emails that seemed to suggest she was looking for reasons to deny political groups approval for tax-exempt status.

Last week acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said he'd asked both a review board and the agency's inspector general to look at the emails.

Republicans said Ms. Lerner's resignation, while a first step, isn't the end of the scandal.

"Just because Lois Lerner is retiring from the IRS does not mean the investigation is over. Far from it," said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. "In fact, there are many serious unanswered questions that must be addressed so we can get to the truth."

Posted by Fred 2013-09-24 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top

#1 Full pension? Job on Wall Street?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2013-09-24 00:26|| 2013-09-24 00:26|| Front Page Top

#2 Privacy? what irony......those IRS guys are giving Leno a run for his money. Oh wait a minute, he's out of a job also....

Posted by USN, Ret. 2013-09-24 00:58|| 2013-09-24 00:58|| Front Page Top

#3 Hope Lois stays away from dark street corners and has somebody else start her car; at least until after she testifies.....

Posted by USN, Ret. 2013-09-24 01:00|| 2013-09-24 01:00|| Front Page Top

#4 Ought to be a little IRS pension caveat.

Please tell us everything you know about this Tea Party business in this here signed [by you] sworn affidavit and your retirement checks will start coming next month. If we find out you lied.... the pension stops immediately.

Have a nice day.

Posted by Besoeker 2013-09-24 02:21|| 2013-09-24 02:21|| Front Page Top

#5 Besoeker, please tell me you were being sarcastic.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2013-09-24 04:23|| 2013-09-24 04:23|| Front Page Top

#6 Well g(r)om, a pensioned learner simply proves the US Gov't has no desire for discovery with regard to the IRS affair.

A Federal pension must be APPLIED for, and approved. Again, a retirement pension does not come automatically. It must be applied, requested, and approved by the agency of the gov't acting as the employer.

The famous 'delayer', Lois Lerner could easily experience a little 'delay' in receiving her pension. Good enough for us, good enough for her.

Under the circumstances, Lerner's pension would have had to have been approved at the highest levels of the IRS, DOJ, or possibly the White House. The shielding of harm and criminal discovery of the first black president continues.

Posted by Besoeker 2013-09-24 08:28|| 2013-09-24 08:28|| Front Page Top

#7 Do you think it won't be immediately approved? Why not, it's not like the MSM will report it or anything.

Posted by CrazyFool 2013-09-24 08:31|| 2013-09-24 08:31|| Front Page Top

#8 I suspect it's already been approved and backdated as well. I know of no provision for a federal employee to sit at home indefinitely, on some kind of administrative leave [other than medical] and receive normal compensation.

Posted by Besoeker 2013-09-24 08:34|| 2013-09-24 08:34|| Front Page Top

#9 IIRC she isn't normal civil servant and the position is subject to the old patronage hiring and firing that goes with all administrations. Couldn't have taken this long for the appropriate government lawyer to determine that she could/should have been fired long ago. Of course when you can name names and point fingers, the 'other' people would be making sure that either you had a smooth transition to another job in the 'Party' or maybe a visit to Fort Marcy Park. Too high profile for the latter right now.

Posted by Procopius2k 2013-09-24 09:54|| 2013-09-24 09:54|| Front Page Top

#10 Looks like bad news for the taxpayer on the pension front...

Posted by Raj 2013-09-24 10:18|| 2013-09-24 10:18|| Front Page Top

#11 If Lerner's position as a top IRS enforcer were to place her in a special 'law enforcement officer' retirement category, that amount would jump to over $61,700.

Who wants to bet that Lois considers herself a "law enforcement officer"?

Posted by tu3031 2013-09-24 11:27|| 2013-09-24 11:27|| Front Page Top

#12 ..well, she does appear to have been an 'enforcer' for the WH. In the military the commander sets the tone of the organization, so yeah, for the WH.

Posted by Procopius2k 2013-09-24 12:01|| 2013-09-24 12:01|| Front Page Top

#13 Instead of a pension she should be getting penitentiary.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2013-09-24 12:02|| 2013-09-24 12:02|| Front Page Top

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