The IRS Scandal, Day 910

Forbes:  Impeaching The IRS Commissioner Is The Wrong Thing To Do, by David Brunori (Tax Analysts):

The House Republican attempt to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen is one of the most unseemly developments of the Lois Lerner affair. Unseemly is probably not a strong enough word to describe the partisan effort to remove a sitting commissioner. It is just wrong.

I say that without any particular bias in favor of the commissioner. Indeed, I think the Department of Justice went too easy on Lerner and the IRS. Nor do I carry any water for the administration. I disagree far more often than I agree with President Obama on tax policy. Yet, I believe impeachment should be reserved for “big things.” It should not be used as a weapon in the political arena or in policy debates. ...

House GOP members say they are frustrated with Koskinen. Since when did frustrating someone equate to a high crime or misdemeanor? Those calling for impeachment say that Koskinen failed to comply with a congressional subpoena ordering him to locate and preserve IRS records related to congressional investigations of the IRS’s handling of conservative groups’ exemption applications; lied in his testimony before Congress regarding the e-mails of Lois Lerner, the former IRS exempt organizations director at the center of the investigations; failed to act with competence and forthrightness in overseeing the investigation of the IRS’s handling of exemption applications; and acted in a manner inconsistent with the trust and confidence placed in him as an officer of the United States. ...

Koskinen may be guilty of being combative with Congress. He may be guilty of caginess during his testimony. He may be guilty of being a lousy commissioner. But none of those are reasons for impeachment.

• The IRS Scandal, Day 909 (Nov. 4, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 908 (Nov. 3, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 907 (Nov. 2, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 906 (Nov. 1, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 905 (Oct. 31, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 904 (Oct. 30, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 903 (Oct. 29, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 902 (Oct. 28, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 901 (Oct. 27, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 801-900 (July 19, 2015 - Oct. 26, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 701-800 (April 10, 2015 - July 18, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 601-700 (Dec. 31, 2014 - April 9, 2015)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 501-600 (Sept. 22, 2014-Dec. 30, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 401-500 (June 14, 2014 - Sept. 21,2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 301-400 (Mar. 6, 2014 - June 13, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 201-300 (Nov. 26, 2013 - Mar. 5, 2014)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 101-200 (Aug. 18, 2013 - Nov. 25, 2013)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 1-100 (May 10, 2013 - Aug. 17, 2013)