(National Review) A tax law specialist and attorney who processed tea-party cases in the Internal Revenue Service's Exempt Organization's Technical Office is retiring, according to an IRS source. Reached over the phone, the lawyer, Carter Hull, would not confirm or deny the report, saying only, "I cannot verify anything about this entire matter." Hull's retirement comes after years of service in the Exempt Organization, where he has served "for decades," the source tells National Review Online.
Elizabeth Hofacre, an employee in the IRS's Cincinnatti office, charged Hull with micromanaging her work from Washington in her interview with congressional staff. Hofacre, who in April 2010 began managing the Cincinnati group that processed tea-party applications, told the House Oversight Committee, "I had no autonomy or no authority to act on [applications] without Carter Hull's influence or input."