DOJ: We Learned About Lois Lerner's "Lost" Emails Through The News

Katie Pavlich | July 17, 2014 12:05 PM

President Obama apparently isn't the only one who gets his information about the IRS targeting scandal from the newspaper.

During an exchange today on Capitol Hill between Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis and Deputy Attorney General James Cole about the IRS targeting of conservatives, Cole said he found out about Lois Lerner's "lost" emails through news reports.

DeSantis: “Mr. Cole, we learned in Congress on June 13th, 2014 that two years-worth of Lois Lerner’s emails were missing—the IRS would not produce those. When did the Justice Department learn of that fact?”

Cole: “I think we learned about it after that from the press accounts that were in the paper following the IRS’ notification to the Congress.”

At best the Department of Justice isn't taking the investigation into IRS targeting seriously. At worst DOJ officials are using the "investigation" to stonewall and cover-up wrong doing. After all, Lois Lerner was working with DOJ officials to build a criminal case against tea party groups.

According to new IRS emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request from Judicial Watch, former head of tax exempt groups at the IRS Lois Lerner was in contact with the Department of Justice in May 2013 about whether tax exempt groups could be criminally prosecuted for "lying" about political activity.