Thu May 8, 2014 AT 7:57 AM EDT
The U.S. House voted to hold former IRS official Lois Lerner in contempt yesterday for refusing to testify before a congressional committee about her role in targeting conservative political groups with increased scrutiny, reports Newsmax. Roll Call reports it may get worse for Lerner. As lawmakers consider whether the Justice Department would ever prosecute Lerner, House attorneys are researching whether the House could invoke its “inherent contempt” power, which hasn’t been used since 1935, to imprison Lerner in the Capitol.