The IRS's questionable handling of the tea-party cases follows a long line of other groups selected for extra scrutiny.

WSJ: IRS Has History of Extra Scrutiny of Groups

March-April: IRS agents begin giving extra attention to tax-exempt applications from groups associated with the tea party or with a political sounding agenda in their names, such as "Patriots, " "Take Back the Country" or "We the People, " according to the IRS inspector general.

NPR: A Timeline Of The IRS's Scrutiny Of The Right