Issa Demands Lerner's Business-Related Personal Emails

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa has demanded that former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official Lois Lerner, a key figure in the IRS targeting scandal, give the committee any emails from her personal account that she might have used to conduct official business.

Issa sent a letter Tuesday stating that the committee's investigation of the issue has shown that Lerner sent some official documents to her personal email address, The Hill reports.

That "raises concerns" about whether the committee can thoroughly ascertain Lerner's role in the targeting affair merely from official emails, Issa said in the letter that was also signed by Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the Oversight subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs.

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The IRS scandal consisted of targeting conservative groups for special scrutiny when considering their applications for tax-exempt status. Lerner, formerly director of the IRS's Exempt Organizations unit, has been on administrative leave from her job since May.

In doing official business through a personal email account, Lerner might have avoided automatic archiving of government emails, making it more difficult for the IRS to provide the committee with requested documents, Issa's letter said.

If Lerner refuses to comply, Issa would have the option to subpoena documents, a spokesman for the Oversight panel said, according to The Hill.