Impeach the IRS Commissioner

WASHINGTON, D.C.—This morning, the House Judiciary Committee holds its second hearing to examine the misconduct of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

The drumbeat continues to grow for Mr. Koskinen’s impeachment.

“Impeach John Koskinen”

 “High-ranking IRS officials were aware of the targeting, and not only took no action to stop it but went to some length to cover up their wrongdoing. Hard drives mysteriously crashed, computers went missing or were destroyed, BlackBerrys were dismantled. More than a dozen IRS officials under investigation experienced inexplicable technical problems that destroyed evidence sought by investigators. The backup tapes were the final hope for getting real answers on what ABC’s Terry Moran, not exactly a card-carrying member of the vast right-wing conspiracy, called ‘a truly Nixonian abuse of power by the Obama administration.’ …

 “Impeachment rarely is the right answer to such a dispute, but in this case it is — since prison isn’t a practical option.”

 “Rep. Jordan: Impeach IRS Commissioner”

 “Koskinen has instead stonewalled and impeded congressional investigations into the matter. With two subpoenas and three preservation orders in place, under Koskinen’s watch the IRS destroyed 422 backup tapes containing potentially 24,000 emails related to the scandal. …

 “Koskinen claims he didn’t tell Congress about the destroyed backup tapes because he was doing his due diligence to see if there was another way to get the records. But months after Koskinen learned of the destroyed tapes, the Treasury inspector general’s office found hundreds of other backup tapes in storage in a West Virginia facility — where they were supposed to be. No one from the IRS had even looked. So much for due diligence.” – Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH)

“Overdue impeachment at the IRS”

 “The House Judiciary Committee is trying to conclude the case against IRS chief John Koskinen, seven months after Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah Republican, filed a resolution seeking his impeachment. ‘Koskinen provided misleading testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,’ said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. ‘These are very serious allegations of misconduct.’

 “Whether House Republicans succeed in holding Mr. Koskinen accountable for a cover-up in the Tea Party targeting scandal depends on whether Democrats, masters of spreading doubt, can do it one more time. No one thinks the IRS collects the nation’s taxes with clean hands, but proving Mr. Koskinen guilty will require Republican determination to get the job done.”