IRS Chief Must Go

I agree with the chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, that the time has come for IRS Commissioner John Koskinen to resign, be fired or be impeached.

Two years ago President Obama nominated Koskinen to head up a troubled IRS embroiled in scandal. The president and Koskinen promised to restore public confidence in an agency that lost it by targeting not for profits for additional scrutiny or preventing applicants from forming because of political sounding conservative names or because of the work that they do that was deemed politically at odds with the administration.

On May 15, 2013, in reaction to the IRS targeting of Americans for their political beliefs President Obama said it was, “inexcusable and Americans have the right to be angry about it.” He went on to say, “Our administration has to make sure that we are working hand in hand with Congress to get this thing fixed.”

The Senate confirmed Koskinen to be the IRS Commissioner after what the president promised and what Koskinen promised with regard to cleaning up the IRS and the getting to the bottom of the who, what, where, when and why of the political targeting and harassment of conservative leaning not for profits.

Since taking then helm of the IRS Koskinen has neither cleaned up the IRS nor has he been forthcoming with Congress in their oversight responsibilities.

Congressman Chaffetz and others in the majority have given Koskinen every opportunity to do what he promised to do before and after he became IRS commissioner. They allowed him to testify numerous times before Congress and they gave him time to produce documents and reply to requests.

For the past two years however it is clear that Koskinen has no intentions of cooperating with Congress and no intention of cleaning up the IRS.

Congressman Chaffetz set forth a stinging and factual indictment of the intentional misleading of Congress and gross incompetence of Koskinen in a 29-page letter Chaffetz sent to President Obama calling for Koskinen to be fired and setting forth in chapter and verse and complete references the evidence proving that he is unfit.

The highlights of the Chaffetz allegations against Koskinen are that throughout his tenure he obstructed Congressional investigations. His obstruction has taken the form of his failure to comply with a congressional subpoena, failure to testify truthfully, and failure to produce up to 24,000 emails relevant to the investigation.

As a result of his stonewalling, incompetence, inaction and outright lies to Congress, Koskinen has deprived the American people of an understanding and accountability for the IRS targeting scandal by a government agency that is suppose to serve the public not harass them.

IRS Commissioner Koskinen was on notice from the first day he took office that he was responsible for the need to preserve documents and make sure that IRS employees fully and completely cooperate with Congresses investigations with regard to all aspects of the operations of the IRS and especially with regard to the oversight of the facts and circumstance surrounding the IRS targeting scandal.

An example of Koskinen’s malfeasance is the IRS’outright destruction of key evidence when on March 4, 2014; IRS employees magnetically erased 422 back-up tapes, which contained as many as 24,000 emails of the infamous IRS executive who took the Fifth, Lois Lerner. Lerner is the IRS employee who is the key to the political targeting scandal.

The House Government Oversight Committee on Aug. 2, 2013, issued a subpoena to the IRS demanding preservation and production of, “all communications sent or received by Lois Lerner from Jan. 1, 2009, to Aug. 2, 2013.” The committee reissued the subpoena to the IRS on Feb. 14, 2014, following the Senate confirmation of Koskinen as its commissioner.

Despite the fact that the IRS destroyed evidence, Koskinen appeared as a witness before the House Government Oversight Committee on March 26, 2014, and testified under oath that Lois Lerner’s emails were archived and it would take some time to retrieve them. The fact is that the emails no longer existed as they were erased on March 4, 2014. He lied.

The modus operandi of Koskinen, the IRS, and the administration with regard to the IRS scandal is to thwart, delay, and destroy evidence in an effort to escape liability for organized government corruption, plain and simple.

The president never had the intention of getting to the bottom of the scandal or bringing those to justice who had a hand in it.

Koskinen as it turns out is a presidential shill who has been exposed and now must go by resignation, firing or impeachment. Take your pick Mr. President.

Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is currently a professor of politics and public policy at Georgetown University and a frequent contributor to Fox News Opinion. Read more reports from Bradley Blakeman — Click Here Now.