WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Mike Lee released the following statement regarding revelations that the Internal Revenue Service had been targeting conservative groups:

“I am deeply troubled by reports that the IRS targeted certain conservative groups for political purposes.  Americans of all political backgrounds are rightfully calling for a thorough investigation to find out who was directing this effort, and for the individuals involved to be held accountable.  Concerns regarding this shameful abuse of power transcend partisan differences.  This should not be dismissed as just another conflict between left and right; it is a conflict between the federal government and the American people, who -- regardless of their political leanings -- should be free to exercise their constitutionally protected rights without fear of political retribution from the world's most powerful tax-collection agency.  We need to find out how this happened, why the underlying facts remained concealed until now, and what we can do to prevent the increasingly powerful IRS from targeting any group or individual based on political ideology.”