Washington (CNN) -- Engaging a rarely used power, House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa announced his committee will vote next Thursday on whether to hold former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about the agency's targeting of conservative organizations. "Documents and testimony point to Lois Lerner as a senior IRS official responsible for conduct that deprived Americans of their rights to free speech and equal protection under the law," wrote the California Republican in a statement released Thursday. Lerner ran the IRS division that determined tax-exempt status for nonprofit organizations. An IRS inspector general's report concluded that her division used "inappropriate" search terms to flag some conservative applications, including "Tea Party" and "patriot." Democrats have pointed out that some liberal terms, such as "progressive," were also on the list.
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The House Oversight Committee will vote on holding an ex-IRS official in contempt
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Lois Lerner ran the division that ruled on tax-exempt status for nonprofit groups
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She invoked the Fifth Amendment when asked about targeting conservative groups
After a House vote to find Lerner in contempt, the process would leave Republicans' hands and go to the U.S. attorney for @placeholder, who would be directed to call a grand jury.