June 13,2014

Press Contact:

Aaron Fobes/Julia Lawless (202) 224-4515

IRS Unable to Produce Lois Lerner Emails

Fails to Provide Other Critical Documents Until Year After Initial Request

WASHINGTON – Today, Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) released the following statement regarding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) informing the Senate Finance Committee that Lois Lerner’s emails cannot be produced due to a hard drive crash and that additional documentation will be provided in lieu of her emails:

“Today’s admission by the IRS that they cannot produce Lois Lerner’s emails is an outrageous impediment to our investigation.  Even more egregious is the fact we are learning about this a full year after our initial request to provide the Committee with any and all documents relating to our investigation.  And while the IRS has agreed to turn over additional documentation, I am still greatly troubled that the Administration failed to notify the Committee of this when they first became aware of it.  This development will without question delay our investigation. I am committed to ensuring the Committee receives all documentation needed to move the investigation forward.  I look forward to a forthright discussion with Commissioner Koskinen on this matter next week.”  

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