Black Votes to Refer Lois Lerner to Department of Justice for Criminal Prosecution

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06), member of the House Ways and Means Committee, supported a criminal referral letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Eric Holder that passed out of committee regarding actions taken by IRS employee Lois Lerner. 

“President Obama’s assertion that there was not a ‘smidgeon’ of corruption in the IRS’ targeting of conservatives is at odds with the facts, and I urge him to call on his Justice Department to immediately move forward with a criminal investigation as recommended in our letter,” said Congressman Black. “Enough is enough. That is why today, our committee marked up and approved a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder outlining three specific areas where Lerner may have broke the law. If Lois Lerner won’t answer to Congress, it is time for her to answer to the U.S. Department of Justice.”

The Committee’s investigation uncovered three specific acts undertaken by Lerner that may have violated one or more criminal statutes documented in the letter:

• Lerner used her position to improperly influence agency action against only conservative organizations, denying these groups due process and equal protection rights under the law.  She showed extreme bias and prejudice towards conservative groups.  The letter lays out evidence on how Lerner targeted conservative organization Crossroads GPS as well as other right-leaning groups, while turning a blind eye to similarly-organized liberal groups, like Priorities USA.
• Lerner impeded official investigations by providing misleading statements in response to questions from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
• Lerner risked exposing, and may actually have disclosed, confidential taxpayer information, in apparent violation of Internal Revenue Code section 6103 by using her personal email to conduct official business.

If convicted of these crimes, Lerner could face up to 11 years in prison.

The letter to DOJ can be read here.

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Congressman Diane Black represents Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District. She has been a registered nurse for more than 40 years and serves on the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees.