Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wants President Obama to review his administration for political improprieties following news that the IRS targeted conservatives for scrutiny.

The Internal Revenue Service has apologized for targeting groups with the words "Tea Party" and "patriot" in their names. Employees in Cincinnati began requesting extra information from such groups applying for nonprofit status, the IRS has said.

As Tea-Party groups express their displeasure, so did McConnell, who called the practices "political thuggery" and asked Obama to conduct a government-wide review.

"Today, I call on the White House to conduct a transparent, government-wide review aimed at assuring the American people that these thuggish practices are not underway at the IRS or elsewhere in the administration against anyone, regardless of their political views," McConnell said in a statement sent to reporters.

"Today's apology by the IRS is proof that those concerns were well founded. But make no mistake, an apology won't put this issue to rest," McConnell said. "Now more than ever we need to send a clear message to the Obama administration that the First Amendment is non-negotiable, and that apologies after an election year are not an sufficient response to what we now know took place at the IRS. This kind of political thuggery has absolutely no place in our politics."

Earlier on Friday, the IRS issued a statement that "mistakes were made initially, but they were in no way due to any political or partisan rationale."