Education

Update: IRS director will no longer speak at commencement

Robby Soave Reporter
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Embattled IRS director Lois Lerner has withdrawn from Western New England University Law School’s upcoming commencement ceremony.

Lerner was supposed to give a speech to graduates and accept an award for her public service on May 18th.

But she ultimately decided not to participate in the event out of concerns that the IRS scandal would distract from the celebration, said a spokesperson.

“Ms. Lerner cited her wish to have the ceremony focus on a celebration of the achievements of the graduates,” wrote Barbara A. Moffat, vice president for public affairs at the university, in an email to The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Lerner would have received the Presidential Medallion at the ceremony, an award that recognizes outstanding public servants for their contributions to society. But her reputation was tarnished earlier this week when she admitted that IRS agents under her supervision had treated conservative groups unfairly.

A report released Tuesday night by the inspector general confirmed the IRS’s improper activities.

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