TaxProf Blog

Paul L. Caron
Dean




Wednesday, November 23, 2016

The IRS Scandal, Day 1294: House Republicans Will Try To Oust IRS Commissioner Koskinen This Month

IRS Logo 2Washington Examiner, Conservatives Will Try to Oust IRS Chief This Month:

Rep. Tim Huelskamp will call for a post-election vote to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen when Congress returns from Thanksgiving recess, he told the Washington Examiner.

Huelskamp, R-Kan., said he has no plans to drop his effort to oust Koskinen, whose term does not expire until November 2017. "We need to clean house, especially at the IRS," Huelskamp said.

Huelskamp said Koskinen could pre-empt a vote by announcing he will retire when Republican President-elect Trump takes office in January. "But barring that, I anticipate that two weeks from now we will introduce that resolution," Huelskamp said.

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2016/11/the-irs-scandal-day-1294-house-republicans-will-try-to-oust-irs-commissioner-koskinen-this-month.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

Comments

It's been unconstitutional for 30 years, but apparently hard to prove and challenge:

https://www.propublica.org/article/is-partisan-gerrymandering-unconstitutional

If your argument here is that we should all live in a pure nationwide democracy, then you should've petitioned to have the Constitution changed, which takes much more than a simple majority. I'd personally be in favor of that, with the proviso that the U.S. Senate also be eliminated. It's just as undemocratic and disproportionate as the Electoral college.

But there is no valid argument against gerrymandering this election cycle. Congressional districts notwithstanding, the GOP won 241 or 55% of all House seats this year, and received 61.5 million votes nationwide (or 50%, including 3rd party votes) vs. the Democrats' 58.3 million votes.(or 47%).

Posted by: MM | Nov 28, 2016 7:35:04 PM

Mr. MM: I am unaware of any SCOTUS ruling holding partisan gerrymandering unconstitutional. A recent E.D. Wisc. decision seems to go that direction, but I doubt it will survive SCOTUS with a neo-Scalia.

Posted by: Publius Novus | Nov 28, 2016 9:02:28 AM

Publius Nadler,

You know, the last time I checked partisan gerrymandering was unconstitutional per the Supreme Court. Perhaps you should've lodged your complaints about that kind of thing well before Election Day? Of course, nobody on the left really cared about gerrymandering from 1956 to 1994, or 2006 to 2010, when Democrats controlled the House.

Regarding the national popular vote, the last time I checked that was also constitutionally irrelevant to the selection of the President, to paraphrase Al Gore before the 2000 election. It's nice consolation prize, and since she's currently ahead in California by 3.5 million votes, and thus behind in the rest of the country, I'd be fine with her being crowned Queen of the Golden State if and when it secedes from the union...

Posted by: MM | Nov 25, 2016 11:51:49 PM

Mr. wodun: HRC is, as of the latest but incompete talley, leading Mr. Trump by more than 2 million votes. Ballot box rejection? The Republicons lost 2 Senate seats. Ballot box rejection? Despite the heavy gerrymandering of almost the entire nation, the Republicons lost 6 House seats. Ballot box rejection?

Posted by: Publius Novus | Nov 25, 2016 7:39:58 PM

Publius fails to see the irony of the sound rejection Democrats got at the ballot box and he will surely be freaking out if Trump acts on the precedents set by Obama.

Posted by: wodun | Nov 24, 2016 12:02:58 AM

I'm sure Publius Nadler will applaud when President Trump appoints loyal DOJ officials who will bury any and all investigations into his own financial improprieties. What's good for the goose is good for the gander...

Posted by: MM | Nov 23, 2016 8:11:29 PM

And the Soros-bot, Publis Novus, shows up again to demonstrate once again that for liberals, the criminal conduct of his fellow liberals in the IRS is something to be admired and defended at all costs. For Publis and his fellow liberals, it is about power at ANY price, and the ends justify ANY means.

Posted by: Andrew Russell | Nov 23, 2016 9:34:34 AM

Soon-to-be-former Rep. Huelskamp probably fails to see the irony here--Kansas voters decided to clean him out of the House. Both literally and figuratively.

Posted by: Publius Novus | Nov 23, 2016 8:00:45 AM

Koskinen is certainly planning for his exit. See: https://origin-nyi.thehill.com/policy/finance/306120-irs-chief-urges-trump-team-to-consider-replacement-soon

Posted by: Tom N. | Nov 23, 2016 7:07:52 AM