article_snippet.sent: Lois Lerner, the former the IRS official at the heart of the tea party targeting scandal, ran the 'Exempt Organizations' division until late 2013 when she retired with full benefits; the Justice Department said this week that the Justice Department won't prosecute she for defying a congressional subpoena and refusing to answer questions .
article_snippet.sent: Former the IRS official Lois Lerner, who has been at the center of the targeting scandal since the targeting scandal emerged in 23 months ago, was facing the possibility of criminal Contempt of Congress charges until the Obama administration's Department of Justice declined on Monday to prosecute her.
article_snippet.sent: Lerner, under subpoena in May 2013, delivered an opening statement professing her innocence during a hearing but then refused to answer questions.