GOP Bill Would Suspend IRS Audits

Until the agency is itself audited

House Republicans last week proposed legislation that would suspend the ability of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to conduct audits until the IRS itself is audited by Congress.

The bill, from Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), is the latest in a string of measures that have been offered in the wake of the IRS's adminssion it applied extra scrutiny to conservative groups over the last few years. Republicans have said those activities were politically motivated, and went unreported by senior Obama administration officials in the run-up to the 2012 election.

"We're seeing the tip of the iceberg," Fleming said last week. "Tea party groups, conservative professors, opinion makers who dared to speak out against Obama, and even Billy Graham were targeted for interrogations that dug into private records, seeking information on everything from donor names to Facebook posts.