The Internal Revenue Service official who signed off on a $4.1 million California conference featuring parody videos, taxpayer-paid gifts and upgrades to lavish hotel suites apologized Thursday and said the agency used poor judgment.

Faris Fink, commissioner of the tax collection agency's small business and self-employed division, told a congressional committee that the IRS is "now in a very different environment." and that "We would not hold this same type of meeting today."