SAM HANANEL, Associated Press 5:33 p.m. EDT April 1, 2015<\/p>\n
Lois Lerner, ex-director of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division at the IRS, declines to answer questions from Rep. Darrell Issa.(Photo: AFP\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n
WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department won't seek criminal contempt charges against Lois Lerner, the former IRS official at the center of a controversy over how the agency treated conservative political groups. <\/p>\n
Ronald Machen, the outgoing U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the decision in a March 31 letter to House Speaker John Boehner that was made public on Wednesday. <\/p>\n
The GOP-controlled House had referred the case to federal prosecutors after lawmakers voted last year to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress for her refusal to testify before a pair of committee hearings. <\/p>\n
Lerner directed the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status. She set off a political firestorm in 2013 when she disclosed that agents had improperly singled out applications from tea party and other conservative groups for extra, sometimes burdensome scrutiny. <\/p>\n
An inspector general's report found no evidence of a political conspiracy, instead blaming poor management at the agency. But many Republicans in Congress remain skeptical. <\/p>\n
Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions at a hearing before the House Oversight Committee. But House Republicans claim she waived her constitutional right by delivering an opening statement in which she declared her innocence. <\/p>\n
In his letter, Machen said a team of \"experienced career prosecutors\" determined that Lerner did not waive her Fifth Amendment rights by making \"general claims of innocence.\" <\/p>\n
Machen, whose last day in office was Wednesday, said prosecutors concluded that it would not be appropriate to send contempt charges to a grand jury because the Constitution protects her. <\/p>\n
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Justice Dept.: No contempt charges for Lois Lerner<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SAM HANANEL, Associated Press 5:33 p.m. EDT April 1, 2015 Lois Lerner, ex-director of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division at the IRS, declines to answer questions from Rep. Darrell Issa.(Photo: AFP\/Getty Images) WASHINGTON (AP) The Justice Department won't seek criminal contempt charges against Lois Lerner, the former IRS official at the center of a controversy over how the agency treated conservative political groups Continue reading