John Shafer, who described himself as “a conservative Republican,” told congressional investigators he flagged the first application for tax-exempt status from a Tea Party-aligned group that he and a lower-level agent came across in February 2010 because it was a new, high-profile issue.

Asked if the lower-level agent sought to elevate the case to Washington because he disagreed with Tea Party politics, Shafer said that was not the case.

“We never, never discussed any political, personal aspirations whatsoever,” he said, according to a transcript of his testimony reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday. …

James Sallah, an attorney for Shafer, said his “testimony speaks for itself. It is clear that Mr. Shafer was carrying out his job without any political motivation.”