Late Wednesday night, while most of social media was still buzzing over who lied more often during NBC’s Commander-in-Chief Forum, Politico reported that IRS Commissioner John Koskinen had spent the day in meetings with Republican members of the House doing his best to talk his way out of impeachment.
IRS commissioner makes last-ditch plea against impeachmenthttps://t.co/VEcfDd8m0A
— Saul Anuzis (@sanuzis) September 8, 2016
Lois Lerner managed to skate despite charges she had targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny in the lead-up to the 2012 election, with the Justice Department concluding that “poor management is not a crime.” (Sound familiar? Extreme carelessness isn’t a crime either.)
Koskinen, however, didn’t get away so easily. Rep. Jason Chaffetz announced last October that the House had filed impeachment papers against Koskinen, charging him with destruction of evidence and making false statements under oath.
Politico reported that Koskinen might have made some progress Wednesday. After reminding members of the moderate GOP Tuesday Group that he wasn’t in charge when the targeting took place, he met with the less welcoming Republican Study Committee, chaired by Rep. Bill Flores. Things apparently did not go well for Koskinen.
RSC Chairman @RepBillFlores on impeachment of IRS Commissioner, "Koskinen's gotta go." #impeachKoskinen
— RSC (@RepublicanStudy) September 8, 2016
As if that weren’t clear enough, Flores retweeted the RSC and declared his strong support for impeachment.
I strongly support the impeachment of IRS Commissioner Koskinen https://t.co/GhOlU8Fetp
— U.S. Representative Bill Flores (@RepBillFlores) September 8, 2016
Rep. Tim Huelskamp wasn’t happy to hear that Koskinen was making the rounds on Capitol Hill and privately chatting up representatives “while the prosecuting attorney is away.”
About oversight… what about #IRS Commissioner? Lied under oath, obstructed Congress, oversaw evidence destruction https://t.co/kNzpCpPoR9
— Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) September 8, 2016
Huelskamp told The Daily Signal that Koskinen’s attempt to squirm out of impeachment was “a charade.”
‘Just a Charade’: House Conservatives Decry IRS Chief’s Capitol Hill Visit https://t.co/GLbzcnu1JF via @PhilipWegmann
— Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) September 8, 2016
“You’re going to give the most hated official in the Obama administration a free platform, without testifying under oath, to defend himself and his targeting of conservative groups?” he told The Daily Signal.
The most hated official in the Obama administration? That’s harsh.
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