Congressional officials: Federal investigators may have recovered missing IRS emails

Lawmakers and congressional aides say federal investigators have recovered data that may include lost emails from one of the pivotal figures in the controversy over Internal Revenue Service treatment of tea party groups.

A spokesman for Republicans who run the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Frederick Hill, says the investigators told congressional aides Friday that they may have recovered up to 30,000 emails to and from Lois Lerner.

A statement from Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee is more measured. They say the investigators have recovered data that may include Lerner emails.

Lerner is the former IRS official who headed the division that processes applications for tax exempt status.

The investigators are from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which audits the IRS.