Elizabeth Hofacre worked in the Cincinnati IRS office that abused conservative groups. She doesn’t appreciate her agency superiors placing all the blame on the Cincy office:
Hofacre told House Oversight Committee investigators in an interview, the transcript of which has been reviewed by National Review Online, that her boss immediately called her to apologize on Lerner’s behalf, presumably because “she was flabbergasted that Lois had made such a statement” and “appalled that Lois Lerner said that.”
Responding to a planted question from a friend in the audience at the American Bar Association conference, Lerner revealed that the IRS had inappropriately discriminated against tea-party groups, and pointed the finger at “our line people in Cincinnati.” She also said that Cincinnati employees were responsible for the delays in the processing of tea-party applications and for asking intrusive questions of the groups “that weren’t really necessary for the type of application.”
Upon hearing this, “I was furious,” Hofacre told investigators.
Hofacre also charged that top brass in the IRS, including Lerner, misled the public by blaming the scandal on a few rogue employees. “Everybody that has been making those statements should know they are inaccurate,” Hofacre said. Asked whether “the public has been purposely misled,” Hofacre responded, “Exactly.”
Hofacre adds that the IRS uses a “really tight” case inventory system that precluded any “rogue employees” from going rogue. So, it all had to come from higher up in the IRS — Washington.
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