No Matter How House Chooses to Proceed, IRS is in Need of Leadership, Accountability

Congress has little time left in the September work period, and they have much to do. Even with all of the unfinished business Congress has yet to address, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance continues to urge House Leadership to at least hold a vote on repealing the USDA Catfish Inspection program and pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded until a new Congress is sworn in to avoid a lame duck session.

One issue that Congress is currently looking at in September is the possible impeachment of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen.  If this were to eventually happen, Koskinen would be the first ever IRS chief impeached.

Congress has been debating the impeachment of Commissioner Koskinen for nearly a year. In October of 2015, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) brought forth a resolution in Congress to impeach Koskinen.

Impeachment became a more viable option for some members of Congress after the news that there would be no charges filed in relation to the IRS targeting scandal where it was revealed that the agency selectively targeted groups based on their political leanings.

Even though impeachment is rare, the House has held two hearings regarding the impeachment resolution, both without Koskinen in attendance. During one of those hearings Chairman Chaffetz testified to the House Judiciary Committee as a witness making a case why the resolution should be adopted. Lynnley Browning reported on the hearings in Bloomberg in late June:

Chaffetz and other Republicans contend that Koskinen, who took office in December 2013, failed to make sure that the IRS produced a full record of e-mails from Lois Lerner, the agency’s former director of exempt organizations. They also accuse him of misleading Congress about a hard-drive crash that lost some of Lerner’s e-mails — as well as the subsequent destruction of backup tapes.

After a deal was struck late last week, action on impeachment is scheduled to take place this week with a hearing where Koskinen is slated to testify.  Even though this hearing is a compromise in order to avoid an impeachment vote prior to the November elections, it doesn’t take impeachment completely off the table.

Congress has a lot of work to do before the end of the month, and while it is important to make sure federal agencies are given the proper oversight, it is equally important that the oversight lead to better management and greater accountability. Regardless of what the House chooses to do with the question concerning the tenure of Commissioner Koskinen, the IRS will be in need of better leadership no matter who is in charge going forward.