The House will vote next week to hold Lois G. Lerner, the former IRS employee at the center of the agency’s tea party targeting scandal, in contempt of Congress, House leaders announced Thursday.
Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced the vote in detailing the chamber’s schedule. He did not, however, list another action the House could take that would refer Ms. Lerner’s actions to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.
Ms. Lerner ran the IRS division charged with approving applications for tax-exempt status. An inspector general’s review found that agency improperly targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny and improperly delayed dozens of those applications.
Ms. Lerner has refused to testify to Congress about her role, citing her right against self-incrimination. But the House Oversight Committee ruled she waived that right when she asserted her innocence.
The floor vote is likely to spur a major debate over legal interpretations of the Fifth Amendment.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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