WASHINGTON — A House committee passed a resolution Wednesday to condemn and censure IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
On a partisan 23-15 vote, the GOP-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee moved to deny Koskinen his government pension and get him out of office.
Spearheaded by chair Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Republicans say Koskinen lied to Congress about ex-employee Lois Lerner and allowed key email evidence to be destroyed in an investigation of how the IRS targeted conservative groups.
“Mr. Koskinen’s misconduct deserves condemnation and censure from the Congress,” Chaffetz said.
The measure now heads to the full House.
Chaffetz called the move “a helpful first step” toward the ultimate goal of impeachment, a rare rebuke that would require Senate passage. Chaffetz is pushing for impeachment in a separate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 22.
Koskinen, 76, came out of retirement in December 2013 to clean up the IRS after an independent audit found the agency was using improper criteria to screen politically active groups for tax-exempt status.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) panned the censure resolution as “bogus” because “there was no lying to Congress and no obstruction of justice.”
Democrats charge the GOP is unfairly targeting Koskinen for a wider IRS scandal that pre-dated him. An independent audit found the IRS improperly gave extra scrutiny to tea party groups. But the Justice Department found no evidence the treatment was politically motivated.
“It’s finally time to put these baseless conspiracy theories to rest,” Cummings said. “This resolution is a waste of time. It’s going nowhere. It has no practical effect. As respectfully as I can say it, it’s time to give up on this one.”