Targeting Groups for Political Beliefs Would Land IRS Agents in Jail, Under Proposed Bill

A little overdue

A Republican congressman plans to introduce a bill Monday that would make it a crime—punishable by jail time—for an IRS agent to target groups based on their political beliefs. 

The bill was drafted after the agency acknowledged Friday that it singled out Tea Party and other conservative organizations for additional scrutiny. According to documents obtained by Fox News, the practice may have been in the works as early as 2010. 

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said his bill is aimed at preventing this from happening again. 

"Americans of all political beliefs have been rightly outraged by the revelation of the IRS' efforts to target certain political organizations," he said in a statement.