Opinion: IRS Official’s Silence Will Harm Search for Truth

The decision by Lois Lerner, head of the Internal Revenue Service’s tax-exempt division, to plead the Fifth Amendment during her appearance before a House committee on Wednesday was “a huge loss for anyone who really wanted to know what happened” when an office of the bureau singled out conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, writes David Firestone in a New York Times commentary. The agency’s Cincinnati office has been accused of being overzealous in its vetting of Tea Party-affiliated organizations. Firestone writes that Ms. Lerner’s choice, while understandable from a legal perspective, will most likely fuel continuing and counterproductive speculation.

Read more of The Chronicle’s coverage of the IRS controversy.