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Sunday, July 17, 2016

The IRS Scandal, Day 1165

IRS Logo 2Washington Examiner, How Conservatives Hope to Win the IRS Impeachment Vote:

Conservative lawmakers behind the resolution to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen have a not-so-secret weapon that they hope will lead to a successful impeachment vote in September: public outrage.

Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., and John Fleming, R-La., made a motion on Thursday to call up their impeachment resolution on a privileged basis, essentially forcing the House to vote on it. That motion won't be considered until the House returns in September from conventions and the summer recess.

Some already see the intervening seven weeks as a cooling off period that gets Republican leaders off the hook, since they don't want to hold the vote.

But Huelskamp and Fleming say the time back home might subject lawmakers to several weeks of pressure from constituents who are demanding an impeachment vote to finally hold somebody in Washington — anybody — accountable. ...

GOP leaders don't agree, and would rather focus on a more moderate agenda that gives voters a reason to keep Republicans in charge of the House and Senate. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Thursday tried to calm things down by saying the GOP would have a "family" discussion about impeachment once members return. ...

But while leaders hope things calm down, supporters of impeachment are hoping voters let lawmakers know they're mad as hell. That would put more pressure on the House to not only hold the vote, but to vote in favor of impeachment.

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2016/07/the-irs-scandal-day-1165.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

Comments

sw, we already have that situation for any appointment requiring Senate confirmation. It's to the point where only a committed ideologue would be willing to subject himself to the confirmation process. That's a deplorable result.

Posted by: AMT buff | Jul 18, 2016 9:26:31 AM

sw, agreed on the disincentive to take a job like that. But what's the alternative to impeachment when there is actual wrongdoing, or at least clear incompetence? Wait 1-4 years until the next President may or may not fire top IRS officials?

Posted by: MM | Jul 18, 2016 7:36:17 AM

Impeachment could set a very bad precedent where we will fail to get qualified people to work in the government in the future as they can be impeached just because they have political opponents, irrespective of the absence of wrongdoing.

Posted by: sw | Jul 18, 2016 6:19:40 AM

This "screw you voters" mentality from Ryan and the GOPe is why Ryan is struggling in the poles and why Trump is the nominee. And they still haven't learned.

Posted by: Wodun | Jul 17, 2016 1:38:32 PM

They should have impeached this guy last year. Instead the political cowards we have, in leadership, let this lawless administration get away with another attack on our constitution by using an agency that, to the best of our knowledge, has never been successfully used to go after political foes. If we don't deal with this, I can guarantee you it will happen again.

Posted by: bflat879 | Jul 17, 2016 9:24:24 AM