IRS official bails on commencement speech after targeting controversy
The Internal Revenue Service official who initially apologized for the agency's targeting controversy last week canceled her previously scheduled commencement speech at Western New England University Law School, citing concerns that her presence would be a distraction.
Lois Lerner, who is a 1978 alumna of the law school, was set to deliver the commencement speech Saturday and had been in contact with the law school's dean, Arthur Gaudio, throughout the week as news broke about conservative groups the IRS targeted in 501(c)4 application reviews.Gaudio received a phone call yesterday that Lerner wouldn't speak at the school's ceremony.
"It was out of her concern for her alma mater so the students here could be focused on and have the best graduation as she experienced herself," Barbara Moffat, the school's vice president for marketing and external affairs, told CBSNews.com. "She was fearful her presence would detract from that."
According to The Treasury General Inspector General for Tax Administration report, Lerner learned IRS agents had flagged "tea party," "patriot," and "9/12 Project" applications at a June 29, 2011 meeting. She admitted to and apologized about this controversy on May 10, 2013.
"She was concerned about the fact that all this media attention would detract from the experience of the students graduating," Moffat said. "She recognized that this was an academic and non-political event. These students have worked very hard for several years and she wanted to make sure the focus was on them."
Without time to find a new commencement speaker, Saturday's graduation will have an abbreviated schedule that just features the student and staff speeches already planned.