Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced a resolution yesterday to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, stating that “Commissioner Koskinen violated the public trust. He failed to comply with a congressionally issued subpoena, documents were destroyed on his watch, and the public was consistently misled.”
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released a report on May 15, 2013 that found the IRS unfairly targeted conservative taxpayers. Commissioner Koskinen was issued a subpoena for “[a]ll communications sent or received by Lois Lerner, from January 1, 2009, to August 2, 2013” in an effort to investigate the “targeting of Americans based on their political affiliation.” The IRS destroyed the backup tapes that the communications were stored on instead of complying with the law.
Commissioner Koskinen has repeatedly given misleading statements regarding the status of Lerner’s emails and failed to examine and produce available sources of communication to congress. The TIGTA was able to investigate Lerner’s “blackberry, email server, loaner laptop, the IRS’s own backup tapes, and Lerner’s hard drive” in only 15 days.
Jason Chaffetz, along with 51 other members of congress, called for Commissioner Koskinen’s removal this past July. The White House did not respond.
Impeachment of Mr. Koskinen will “demonstrate to the American people that the IRS is under repair, and signal that Executive Branch officials who violate the public trust will be held accountable.”