Former IRS official refuses to testify at h..

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Washington • Former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner is once again refusing to answer questions at a congressional hearing on the targeting of tea party groups.

Lerner headed the IRS division that improperly targeted tea party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status from 2010 to 2012.

She appeared at a Wednesday hearing by the House Oversight Committee. But when Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (EYE'-suh) asked her questions about her role in the matter, Lerner invoked her constitutional right not to incriminate herself.

Lerner was the first IRS official to publicly disclose the targeting last spring. But this is the second time Lerner has declined to answer questions at a congressional hearing.

Former IRS official refuses to testify at hearing