WASHINGTON: The chief of the IRS fended off Republican demands Wednesday that he should lose his job, telling the House Judiciary Committee that he’d made statements about missing emails that later proved wrong but had done nothing to merit impeachment.
At a four-and-one-half hour hearing on whether to oust him, John Koskinen repeatedly said he’d cooperated fully with congressional investigators probing why his agency — before he joined it — subjected tea party groups seeking tax exemptions to excessive scrutiny. Conservatives said Koskinen has headed an agency that destroyed emails investigators wanted.
“When you destroy documents that are under subpoena, somebody’s got to be held accountable for that. And that starts with you,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of another committee that has had a long-running investigation of the IRS’ treatment of conservative organizations.
Koskinen told lawmakers that when he testified in June 2014 that no documents had been destroyed since congressional investigations began, he didn’t know that three months earlier, IRS workers had mistakenly destroyed backup tapes of thousands of emails.
“In retrospect, I would have been better advised to say, ‘To the best of my knowledge,’ ” Koskinen told the Judiciary panel.
With Republicans divided and GOP leaders offering no support, the impeachment effort is ensured of a defeat. Last week, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus agreed to not force a House impeachment vote until after the November elections in exchange for Wednesday’s hearing.
The conservatives say Koskinen obstructed congressional investigations by lying, ignoring subpoenas and heading an agency that destroyed documentation.
Investigations by the Justice Department and the IRS’ independent inspector general have found no evidence that Koskinen or the agency purposely destroyed evidence or that its actions against the conservative groups were politically motivated.