The IRS Scandal, Day 1134

New York Times, House Panel Recommends Censure of I.R.S. Commissioner:

A polarized House committee on Wednesday recommended that the House censure the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, John A. Koskinen, and seek to strip him of his office and his federal pension for “a pattern of conduct” that betrayed the trust of Congress and the public.

Following the House Republicans’ vote in 2012 to hold the attorney general at the time, Eric H. Holder Jr., in contempt of Congress, the action against Mr. Koskinen appeared to show the lengths they would go to pursue Obama administration officials they oppose. Separately they are considering the more severe action of impeaching Mr. Koskinen, a move that has not been taken against a federal executive other than two presidents in 140 years.

Censure by the House would be the first step, supporters say, yet its impact will probably be limited to political symbolism. The Senate, also run by Republicans, is not expected to follow suit, or to support impeachment. It is unclear when the full House might act on the censure resolution, said aides to House Republican leaders, who are unenthusiastic about the effort against the commissioner.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 23 to 15 for his censure, with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed, after hours of exchanging condemnation and praise for Mr. Koskinen.

New York Times, Head of I.R.S., Facing Censure, Relishes a Job Few Could Love:

By John A. Koskinen’s reckoning, at nearly 77 years of age he might finally have his best job ever: commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.

“If it’s a job where the first thing people say is, ‘Why would you do that?’ then it’s got to be a good job,” he said in an interview.

Little could Mr. Koskinen have imagined how “good” the job would get.

[S]ome Republicans say [censure] will just be a prelude to his impeachment. Besides two presidents, no federal executive has been impeached since William W. Belknap, the secretary of war, in 1876.

Meantime, though, thank you for your service. ...

Mr. Koskinen became the nation’s top tax collector in December 2013 to steady an agency rattled by political upheaval, the latest in a string of knotty assignments he has gotten from presidents of both parties. Since then, things have not gone so smoothly. Critics say Mr. Koskinen obstructed justice and misled Congress as House Republicans continued their inquiries into allegations that I.R.S. employees discriminated against conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status in 2010 and beyond — scrutiny that began before Mr. Koskinen’s arrival.

He has denied the allegations and said his testimony about missing agency emails that turned out to be wrong was based on what he believed to be true at the time. Other investigators — including the Treasury’s inspector general, a Republican, and a bipartisan Senate Finance Committee — criticized Mr. Koskinen’s lapses but found no evidence politics played a role. ...

The genial septuagenarian has long enjoyed a sort of behind-the-scenes prominence, well known to Washington insiders and business leaders. He is also well known to fans of soccer and Duke University — his dual passions — and the soccer stadium there, Koskinen Stadium, is named after him. Mr. Koskinen won the prestigious Elliot L. Richardson Prize this year “for excellence and integrity in government service,” timing that suggested the selection panel’s indifference to the well-publicized complaints of congressional Republicans. ...

In Mr. Koskinen’s telling, he does not get hired; he is “dragooned” — he used the word more than once during an interview in a spacious, if drab, office with few personal touches besides family photos and mementos from previous jobs.

“I never apply for jobs — I just keep getting them,” Mr. Koskinen said. “I say I’m going to go into the witness protection program, and they’ll never find me again.”

He has a physics degree from Duke and a law degree from Yale.

• Bloomberg
• MSNBC
• New York Post
• Wall Street Journal
• Washington Post

• The IRS Scandal, Day 1133 (June 15, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1132 (June 14, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1131 (June 13, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1130 (June 12, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1129 (June 11, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1128 (June 10, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1127 (June 9, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1126 (June 8, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1125 (June 7, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1124 (June 6, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1123 (June 5, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1122 (June 4, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1121 (June 3, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1020 (June 2, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1119 (June 1, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1118 (May 31, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1117 (May 30, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1116 (May 29, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1115 (May 28, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1114 (May 27, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1113 (May 26, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1112 (May 25, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1111 (May 24, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1110 (May 23, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1109 (May 22, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1108 (May 21, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1107 (May 20, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1106 (May 19, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1105 (May 18, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1104 (May 17, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1103 (May 16, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1102 (May 15, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Day 1101 (May 14, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 1001-1100 (Feb. 4, 2016 - May 13, 2016)
• The IRS Scandal, Days 901-1000 (Oct. 27, 2015 - Feb. 3, 2016)
• 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, 201