HOW CONVENIENT: IRS’ Lois Lerner Retires After Hassling the Tea Party

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.

Her departure marks the first government official 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 still can be called before Congress to testify.

The Internal Revenue Service confirmed Ms. Lerner’s retirement in a statement but said it couldn’t release any more information because of privacy concerns.

Rep. Sander M. Levin of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the HouseWays and Means Committee, 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 Ms. Lerner’s 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 were examining her behavior and emails that seemed to suggest that she was looking for reasons to deny political groups approval for tax-exempt status.

Last week, acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said he had asked 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.

Read more: washingtontimes.com