Cameron Lancaster
Posted on 05/13/2016 12:29:57 PM PDT by jazusamo
The House Judiciary Committee will consider impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in upcoming hearings.
The committee will look at Koskinen's alleged misconduct relating to Congress's investigation into the IRS's targeting of political groups.
“Despite repeated congressional efforts to get to the bottom of this matter, Obama Administration officials, including the IRS Commissioner, have consistently undermined the investigation," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said.
"Over the coming weeks, the House Judiciary Committee will closely examine Commissioner Koskinen’s misconduct and the implications of his actions.”
At a Judiciary Committee hearing on May 24, witnesses will present the findings of the House Oversight Committee's investigation into Koskinen. Koskinen will also be invited to testify at that hearing.
Many Oversight Committee members have found that Koskinen failed to comply with a subpoena, made false statements under oath and failed to notify Congress that emails from former IRS official Lois Lerner were missing.
In June, the Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing in which outside experts will discuss the findings from the May hearing and comment on whether Congress should take any additional action.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have called for Koskinen's impeachment. The Freedom Caucus and its chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), praised Goodlatte for scheduling the hearings on Koskinen.
"Commissioner Koskinen must be held accountable for years of stonewalling Congress’ oversight efforts, obfuscating justice, providing false testimony before Congress, and failing to hold agency officials liable for unlawfully targeting groups based on their beliefs," the Freedom Caucus said in a statement.
Jordan said that Koskinen "has most assuredly violated the public trust."
"It’s time for him to go. A hearing is the right first step, but ultimately Congress should hold a vote on impeachment,” he said.
The Tea Party Patriots, which says it was targeted by the IRS, said the hearings were the least that the House Judiciary Committee could do.
"Frankly, we are still waiting for someone to hold Lois Lerner accountable for her role in directing the targeting of Americans, but we also believe it's important to hold Commissioner Koskinen accountable," Tea Party Patriots co-founder and chief executive officer Jenny Beth Martin said in a statement.
"We hope the facts uncovered by the House Judiciary Committee in these hearings will lead to impeachment proceedings against John Koskinen for his misconduct as IRS Commissioner.”
- Updated at 3:16 p.m.
About frigging time!
Stop "considering" and just get on with it.
Its an election year, expect lots of theatrics that ultimately achieve nothing other than helping Hillary with her claim that Republicans are mean and wasting everyone's time with baseless wild goose chases.
This was appropriate two years ago. The damage is done, and lasting.
The GOP majority in both houses has proven worthless.
Looks like they’ve been holding this for the election cycle.
Goody. Fire the SOB and arrest his girlfriend Lois.
Ah, more all talk, no action.
Won’t hold my breath. Lerner should be in prison now, not enjoying her ill earned retirement.
Goodlatte will "consider" it until he is re-elected in November, and then he will conveniently forget about it.
> Its an election year, expect lots of theatrics
You got it. Nothing but theater!
It would be hard to portray Koskinen as a victim of a partisan Republican attack. He is looks like and is a no good arrogant SOB. In my mind I see him wearing a black uniform with lightning bolt SS and a skull on his lapel. His defense will be “I va just following orders.” If they can’t impeach that guy they cannot impeach anybody.
What about Learner?
Naw, much ado about nothing.
Paul Ryan promised this when he took the speaker’s office.
Koskinen is a partisan Democrat hack.
The hearings should include Lois Lerner.
Should have been done immediately when he made clear he was a non-cooperative actor in a corruption investigation.
I’d like to see this. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t know about Lerner. But he has an attitude that he’s a shining knight of government service with a glorious record and is only there as a fine example of what a great bureaucrat can be. The behavior of the IRS is a disgrace. He looks like a fattened-up version of James Carville.
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