On Tuesday afternoon, House Conservatives moved to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen based on the allegations that the agency discriminated against Tea Party groups.
Commissioner John Koskinen, who was appointed head of the IRS in 2013, is accused of misleading investigators looking into the IRS scandal after the agency was accused of targeting right wing groups looking for tax-exempt status as a way to sway the 2012 election.
Republican Congressman from Louisiana John Fleming introduced the resolution to impeach Koskinen on the House floor stating that Koskinen had “engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties as an officer of the United States.”
Fleming, Huelskamp have been leading the charge for impeachment for months
Rep. Fleming is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative congressional caucus that is leading the charge to impeach Koskinen. Fleming’s fellow caucus member, Republican Congressman from Kansas Tim Huelskamp, was beside him as he gave notice on his “privileged resolution” to move towards impeachment, which would force House Speaker Paul Ryan to act on it.
Speaker Ryan has been advocating for impeachment of Koskinen for months
According to Rep. Fleming the vote is set to take place sometime Thursday morning.
The Freedom House Caucus has expressed concern that the move won’t pass, however, as many representatives, both Republicans and Democrats, are not totally behind the idea of impeachment.
Lois Lerner, the former director of the Exempt Organizations Unit of the IRS, resigned after her involvement in the Tea Party targeting scandal. Though Koskinen became commissioner after Lerner left, the IRS under his control failed to comply with a preservation order pertaining to the investigation. Furthermore, he is accused of falsely testifying, failing to keep promises made to Congress, and allowing subpoenaed documents to be destroyed before they could be turned over.
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