Freedom Caucus member to bring up bill on impeaching IRS chief

House Freedom Caucus member John Fleming (R-La.) is expected to move forward Tuesday with an attempt to force a House vote on a resolution to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

Once Fleming gives notice on his “privileged” resolution, the House will have two days to act. The House can vote to table the measure, refer it to the House Judiciary Committee or vote on the substance of the bill, a spokeswoman for the Freedom Caucus said.

{mosads}This is the third time this year that the conservative Freedom Caucus has tried to force a floor vote on impeachment. Fleming first brought up the resolution in July, right before the summer recess. He then called the resolution up again in September, but a deal was reached to delay the vote and instead have the Judiciary Committee hold a hearing at which Koskinen testified.

Many House Republicans allege Koskinen lied under oath and did not comply with a subpoena during congressional investigations into the IRS’s handling of conservative groups’ applications for tax-exempt status. 

But House GOP leadership had been reluctant to bring up a floor vote on impeachment in the past, saying that it would prefer the resolution move through regular order.

Koskinen’s term expires in November 2017. He has said that he would step aside if the next president asked him to do so.

Reg Brown, a personal lawyer to Koskinen, said the House should reject impeachment.

“Our founders provided the Congress with impeachment authority to be used only in the most serious of circumstances,” said Brown, a partner at WilmerHale. “Introducing an impeachment resolution with no formal impeachment hearings in the closing hours of the Congress is not a serious proposal and should be opposed.”