WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after a press conference held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announcing a letter to President Obama, which Congressman Gosar signed, calling for the removal of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for his dereliction of duty and breach of public trust:
Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after a press conference held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announcing a letter to President Obama, which Congressman Gosar signed, calling for the removal of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for his dereliction of duty and breach of public trust:
“Rather than cleaning house and restoring the trust of the American people, Commissioner Koskinen has continued the pattern of criminal behavior and lawlessness within the IRS. He has failed to comply with a congressional subpoena, failed to truthfully testify in front of Congress and is now chief commander for the cover-up of the targeting of innocent Americans by this rogue agency.
“We must pursue any and all constitutional options on the table to remove Koskinen, whether that be contempt or even impeachment. That vital trust between the American people and the IRS has not only been questioned, it has been annihilated. Koskinen made a bad situation worse and if the president won’t remove him for his criminal acts, then it falls on Congress to fire this bureaucrat who has no regard for the rule of law.”
Background:
Congressman Gosar joined 21 other members of the House Oversight Committee in sending a letter to President Obama calling for the immediate removal of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for his dereliction of duty and breach of public trust in regards to the ongoing investigation into the targeting of innocent Americans by the IRS for their political beliefs. The letter followed the release of more than 1,000 new pages of information by the United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that the IRS previously failed to disclose despite multiple requests. That letter can be found HERE.
Last year, Congressman Gosar led a legislative effort to prevent the IRS from giving bonuses to the employees of its Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. This particular division of the IRS is the one that was involved in the targeting of conservative groups. Ultimately, the House passed his amendment prohibiting bonuses for senior executive service employees on July 16, 2014. Read more HERE.
Last year the House also passed one of Congressman Gosar’s amendments which cut funds for the IRS by $353 million as part of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of fiscal year 2015. Read more HERE.
Congressman Gosar voted on April 10, 2014 to hold Lois Lerner, the former head of this IRS division, in contempt of Congress for her refusal to testify in regard to the targeting of conservative groups. Read more HERE.
