Lawmakers Want To Impeach IRS Commissioner

Like a bad penny, the IRS-Tea Party scandal won’t go away. Now some Republican lawmakers are calling for the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen over his handling of the affair, accusing him of misconduct and a cover-up.

The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled hearings on May 24 to review the findings of Koskinen’s investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It could lead to the renewal of a resolution to impeach the IRS’ head honcho.

The Tea Party scandal boiled over in 2013 when it was disclosed that the Exempt Organizations (EO) division of the IRS had applied extra scrutiny to applications for tax-exempt status by various conservative-leaning groups. In the wake of the revelations, a number of highly-placed IRS officials were dismissed, while EO head Lois Lerner famously asserted her Fifth Amendment rights before the committee investigating the matter. Koskinen, the former Executive Chairman of Freddie Mac, wasn’t even on the IRS payroll when the scandal unfolded, but he inherited the mess when he was named commissioner later that year,

On October 27, 2015, House Republicans, led by House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), introduced a resolution impeaching Koskinen. Chaffetz and 18 others accused him of making false statements under oath and failing to comply with a subpoena for evidence. The group also sent a lengthy letter to President Obama urging the nation’s leader to remove Koskinen for obstructing the investigation. But Obama never acted on the request.

Now the focus has shifted back to Koskinen. “A lot of people have to warm up to the idea of impeachment, “Chaffetz (R-Utah) told the Washington Post. “But we’re not letting go of this one.”

What are the alleged transgressions? According to the resolution by Chaffetz, as summarized by an article in Forbes (“Hearings To Impeach IRS Commissioner Loom,” 5/16/16), Koskinen is guilty of the following actions or acts of omission:

Failure to provide IRS records in accordance with a congressional subpoena and internal preservation order. The IRS erased 422 backup tapes reportedly containing as many as 24,000 of Lois Lerner’s emails. This evidence was supposedly destroyed while Koskinen was in charge.
Providing false and misleading information. Koskinen testified the IRS had turned over all emails relevant, including all of Lerner’s missives. When it was later determined that Lerner’s emails were missing, Koskinen testified that they were “unrecoverable,” which Chaffetz disputes.
Failure to notify Congress about missing evidence. The IRS knew Ms. Lerner’s emails were missing in February 2014. In fact, Chaffetz says they were destroyed on March 4, 2014, while the IRS didn’t notify Congress until June 2014, or four months later.

GOP leaders in the House also say that the White House is stonewalling on the issue. “Despite repeated congressional efforts to get to the bottom of this matter, Obama Administration officials, including the IRS Commissioner, have consistently undermined the investigation,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) stated on the Judiciary Committee website, according to the Washington Post.

It’s not yet clear if Koskinen will accept the invitation to appear before the Judiciary Committee next week. A second hearing, when outside experts will be heard, is planned for June.