Emails: IRS Headquarters Involved in Tea Party Scandal
Newly-released emails show the Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., was involved in the Tea Party targeting scandal.
One of the emails came from former IRS official Lois Lerner, who's been held in contempt of Congress after repeated refusals to testify.
The emails, obtained by Judicial Watch, contradict original White House claims that the Tea Party targeting came from the IRS office in Cincinnati.
House Republicans say the Internal Revenue Service audited 10 percent of Tea Party donors, as opposed to the average audit rate of 1 percent for most Americans, the Washington Times reports.
Republicans argue the IRS still hasn't come clean about the full extent of its targeting of conservative groups.
"The abuse of discretion and audit selection must be identified and stopped," Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., R-La., said in a hearing Wednesday.
Investigators reported last year that the IRS singled out Tea Party and other conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
The IRS gave conservative and Tea Party groups special scrutiny, including asking inappropriate questions about their activities and membership.
Obama administration officials deny that the targeting was politically motivated.
