In a rare moment of bipartisanship, House Republicans and House Democrats came together to block a privileged motion by members of the House Freedom Caucus aimed at forcing the whole House to vote on the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
This vote was on whether or not IRS Commissioner John Koskinen’s impeachment should be blocked. Conservatives have made the case that Koskinen was involved in covering up and hampering Congress’ investigation into the IRS targeting of conservative groups and conservative speech. Koskinen has been accused of repeatedly lying under oath and refusing to cooperate with congressional investigators.
CONSERVATIVE REVIEW – H608-114.2016
BLOCK IMPEACHMENT OF IRS COMMISSIONER
VOTE DATE:12/6/2016
In June 2014, he told Congress that since the start of this investigation into former Director Lois Lerner, every email had been preserved. Yet, just three months earlier, IRS officials magnetically erased 422 backup tapes containing as many as 24,000 of Lois Lerner’s emails. House conservatives brought articles of impeachment to the floor accusing Koskinen of violating the public trust of his office. Instead of affirming the articles of impeachment and sending them to the Senate to be tried, the motion was blocked. For years, Congress has abdicated its oversight powers and the accountability tool of impeachment against abusive executive officials. Koskinen was a perfect candidate for impeachment and this would have been an opportune moment to strengthen congressional power and deter future executive officials from malfeasance and to hold corrupt government officials accountable. A vote in support of this motion was a vote to block impeachment.
Breitbart:
From the House floor, Rep. Jim Jordan (R.-Ohio), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, forcefully called for the House to hold the commissioner accountable by passing House Resolution 828, calling for the impeachment of Koskinen for high crimes and misdemeanors.
As the Ohio congressman began to speak, House Democrats began to clamor in disapproval.
Turning to his colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Jordan said: “You might want to listen to what we have to say first and then you can moan and groan.”
According to House rules, written by Thomas Jefferson and known as “Jefferson’s Manual,” upon giving notice of his intent to demand a privileged motion, the House leadership has two days to schedule an up-or-down vote without debate or amendments.
“The right to pursue impeachment is an indispensable power that Congress has for holding government officials accountable to the American people,” Jordan said.