Washington ( CNN ) -- House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa demanded Wednesday that the Federal Election Commission turn over records of more than five years of communications with the Internal Revenue Service -- a move that significantly expands the California Republican 's ongoing probe of alleged federal targeting of conservative groups . In a letter to FEC Chairman Ellen Weintraub -- a Democrat -- Issa cited CNN reporting on Monday that raises `` the prospect of inappropriate coordination between the IRS and the FEC about tax-exempt entities . '' Among other things , Issa asked for records of all communications between the IRS and the FEC dating back to the start of 2008 . He also requested records of any FEC discussions relating to tax-exempt applications or organizations since 2008 . The letter was co-signed by Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan , a prominent member of Issa 's panel . FEC vice-chair says email raises questions of improper contact with IRS . Iss ' a letter came after Don McGahn , the vice chairman of the FEC and a Republican , told CNN that he saw an e-mail from an FEC investigator to Lois Lerner , the former head of the IRS division responsible for reviewing applications from various groups for tax-exempt status . The investigator asked Lerner , herself a former FEC employee , to discuss the status of the American Future Fund , a conservative political advocacy group . McGahn noted that after Lerner was contacted , the IRS sent a questionnaire to the American Future Fund . Lerner , the figure at the center of the congressional investigation into alleged IRS targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status , invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when called to testify before Issa 's panel in May . `` Dealing with Lois Lerner is probably out of the ordinary , '' McGahn said , stressing that FEC commissioners had not given their staffers permission to reach out to the IRS on the matter , a step typically required for such inquiries . Last week , GOP congressional investigators disclosed several e-mails between Lerner and an FEC attorney inquiring about the status of both the American Future Fund and another conservative outfit , the American Issues Project . IRS , Issa escalate fight over investigation . Issa 's letter identifies the FEC attorney as William Powers , an official in the commission 's Office of the General Counsel . The e-mails between Powers and Lerner were initially uncovered by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp , R-Michigan , who sent a letter last week to acting IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel requesting additional details about the controversial contact . While the prospect of potential FEC involvement with the IRS raises the prospect of a broader federal targeting effort , Democrats continue to insist there is no conspiracy , and stress that the publicly released contact between the two agencies was nothing more than requests for information already in the public domain . McGahn told CNN , however , that additional e-mails he has seen do not clearly state whether the FEC was only seeking public data . Requesting private data would likely violate federal law . For her part , Weintraub told CNN Monday she does not know about the e-mails between the FEC investigator and Lerner to which McGahn is referring . `` If there was any evidence or targeting based on ideology , that would be extremely serious , but I have not seen any evidence of that , '' she said . `` I am not aware of requesting or receiving any confidential taxpayer information . I am not aware of any requests for anything that was n't publicly available . '' Issa wants the FEC to turn over the records no later than August 21 . IRS inspector general : Liberals also on target list .
FIRST ON CNN : House Oversight chairman demands records of FEC contact with IRS . Rep. Darrell Issa 's demand follows CNN report of contact between the IRS and FEC . Issa demands the FEC turn over its records by August 21 . GOP warns of possible broader targeting of conservative groups ; Democrats dismiss assertion .