GOP-led House committee pushes through censure of IRS head

A House committee voted Wednesday to censure IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for what Republicans allege was his obstruction of an investigation into whether the IRS improperly scrutinized Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status. Many GOP lawmakers have accused him of engaging in misconduct while Congress was investigating findings that the IRS subjected conservative groups’ applications for tax-exempt status to extra scrutiny.

Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 23-15 along party lines to approve a resolution condemning and censuring Koskinen and expressing the sense of the House that he engaged in a pattern of conduct inconsistent with the trust and confidence placed in him.

The vote is part of a larger effort by House Republicans against Koskinen.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the Oversight committee, is leading the effort to censure Koskinen, saying the commissioner failed to respond to congressional subpoenas. Republicans say the IRS has shown it can’t be trusted with the information, especially when it comes to conservative groups.

Cummings said government investigators have found no evidence that the IRS targeted conservative groups or that Koskinen obstructed the House investigation.

The censure resolution under consideration calls for Koskinen’s resignation and for his pension to be taken away, but measure is not binding.

Chaffetz also introduced a resolution last fall to impeach Koskinen, and he has called censure a potential “first step” toward impeachment.

“You completely disregard the difference between a misstatement and a lie”, said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the committee.

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a second hearing next week to consider Koskinen’s impeachment.

GOP leaders have displayed no enthusiasm for impeaching Koskinen, and any such move would be the responsibility of the House Judiciary Committee. The Justice Department also investigated that issue and notified Congress a year ago that it would not be filing charges against anyone at the IRS.

The Justice Department closed its two-year IRS investigation in October 2015, with no charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner or anyone else at the agency.

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