Either the Justice Dept. has given her immunity, which her lawyers refute, or she's not at all afraid that Justice is serious about their probe of IRS mistreatment of conservative groups.

So, ‪#‎LoisLerner‬ is afraid of self incrimination if she testifies before the Congressional committee, but she'll sit down with federal prosecutors for a lengthy interview. Either the Justice Dept. has given her immunity, which her lawyers refute, or she's not at all afraid that Justice is serious about their probe of IRS mistreatment of conservative groups.

'Her lawyers decided to let her talk to DOJ prosecutors because they have “every confidence” that they are fair-minded and haven’t prejudged the facts, Mr. Taylor said. GOP committee members, by contrast, intended only to “vilify” Ms. Lerner, he said.

Some legal experts said they found the circumstances puzzling.

“It does strike me as a little odd,” said George Thomas III, a Rutgers law professor who’s an expert on criminal procedure. “One explanation is the one given by her lawyer. The other, darker explanation is that she and her lawyer think the DOJ is not interested in a serious investigation of the IRS treatment of these tax exempt groups.”'

Perhaps it's time for chairman Issa to have her held in contempt of Congress. What do YOU think?

◼ Former IRS Official Lerner Gave Interview to DOJ - The Wall Street Journal

Some legal experts said it can be risky to expose a client to Justice Department interviews without a grant of immunity. Ms. Lerner’s lawyers said she got no immunity from DOJ.