Bipartisan probe of IRS tea party scandal blames management flaws, 'dysfunctional culture'

A bipartisan investigation of the IRS is blaming management problems at the tax agency for the mistreatment of conservative political groups when they applied for tax-exempt status.

The Senate Finance Committee is releasing a report on its two-year investigation Wednesday. The report lays much of the blame for the scandal on former IRS official Lois Lerner, who used to head the division that processes applications for tax-exempt status.

The report says Lerner waited nearly two years before informing her supervisors about serious delays in the processing of applications.

The committee is issuing a bipartisan report, along with separate findings by Republican and Democratic investigators.

Democrats and Republicans did not agree on whether anyone outside the IRS was involved. They also didn't agree on whether liberal groups were mistreated.