Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) and other conservative House Freedom Caucus Republicans announced this week that they will relaunch their effort to impeach Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen.
Rep. Fleming said this week that the Caucus will force a vote on the matter when Congress returns to session in September. The group attempted a similar effort just before the summer recess, but were unsuccessful in securing a vote. Speaking to reporters, Fleming said that he and his fellow Caucus members will refile a privileged resolution of impeachment, a procedure which would require a vote within two days either to impeach Koskinen or table the measure.
The group is seeking Koskinen’s impeachment based on what they allege are his inappropriate actions during the investigation of whether the IRS improperly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status for extra scrutiny, and they have been unable to advance legislation to impeach the commissioner under the normal committee process.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has previously proved reluctant both to settle the question of impeachment outside regular order, and to impeach Commissioner Koskinen at al. The House hasn’t impeached a cabinet official since the mid-1870s. Should the new legislation be taken up and passed in the House, it is unlikely to succeed in the Senate, where a two-thirds vote would be required to convict Koskinen.
Source: BNA Daily Tax Report (subscription required)
