Senator Jim Inhofe To Co-Sponsor Bill Targeting IRS

Oklahoma's senior U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe is co-sponsoring a bill filed amid reports that the Internal Revenue Service specifically targeted conservative groups.

Inhofe announced Wednesday that he was an official co-sponsor of the Taxpayer Nondiscrimination and Protection Act of 2013. Inhofe says the bill would make it a crime for an IRS employee to target an individual or group based on their beliefs.

"The recent reports of political gamesmanship coming from this administration are disturbing, unethical, and if true, illegal," said Senator Jim Inhofe. "If there are IRS personnel who are found to have been driving this initiative, then they are criminals and should be prosecuted as such. No administration should ever use the bureaucracy to play political games or silence opposition. This is the United States of America, not the third world."

Inhofe also joined with all 45 Republican senators in signing a letter to President Obama calling for the administration to fully cooperate with investigations into the matter.

Read letter to President Obama.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Inspector General has issued a report that found that for more than 18 months, the IRS specifically targeted conservative groups, including tea party groups. The IRS has launched a criminal investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.