Just In Time For Tax Season: IRS-Sized Courtroom Battles

Just in time for tax season: courtroom battles that place the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) front and center. Many Americans fear being audited after filing their taxes each year, but who penalizes IRS officials when they do something illegal or underhanded? Making headlines recently is Lois Lerner, a former IRS official who has been criminally charged for fraudulently investigating tea party nonprofit organizations.

The IRS has been the subject of major legal scrutiny.
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A little background: in 2013, the United States IRS revealed that it had selected myriad political groups applying for tax-exempt status to examine more closely. The IRS admitted to scrutinizing various groups more closely based on their names or political affiliation. Reportedly, it was Lois Lerner, who previously headed the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status, who first came forward about how the IRS was disproportionately targeting various political groups like the tea party for further scrutiny, and subsequently implicated herself.  

Since then, the controversy surrounding these questionable IRS practices has spun into a massive media frenzy and legal battle. After all, this is the IRS we’re talking about; it’s the federal entity that controls much of our nation’s finances, and one that many people loathe and even fear. If the IRS is making decisions based on politics, personal beliefs, or otherwise, this certainly does deserve a lot of media attention.

Earlier this month, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress, just after sending a letter that urged the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against her. Explains legal analyst Kendall Coffey, “A criminal referral by a body of Congress is going to get very serious attention. I mean no matter what party, what branch of government, something like that simply can’t get ignored.” Coffey continued, telling “The Steve Malzberg Show” on Newsmax TV, “It’ll be looked at very, very seriously and if they decide not to do anything in the end, they’ll need to be in a position to really justify that decision, which generally prosecutors don’t have to do,” of the extreme circumstances surrounding the case. 

Recently, Lerner has been refusing to answers questions during court hearings, citing the Fifth Amendment so as not to self-incriminate. It’s the GOP members of the House Oversight Committee that are most in favor of holding her in contempt of Congress; reportedly, the Committee voted 21-12 to hold her in contempt with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats voting against. 

Stay tuned for more developments as court hearings proceed.