House Republicans to Vote Next Week on Koskinen Impeachment

During the House Republican leadership’s first press conference following their August summer recess, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was asked about the outstanding privileged resolution calling for the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

Conservatives have been railing for his impeachment for months after it was revealed he impeded a House committee’s investigation into allegations the tax-collecting agency had targeted groups critical of President Obama for audits while blocking the tax-exempt status requests of others. The House GOP leadership has reportedly blocked those efforts.

Wednesday, however, Ryan said the House Republican Conference would take a vote on how to proceed next week.

“Well, this is a privileged resolution, as you probably well know,” he said. “This is something we’re going to have a planning conference on next week. We’re gonna discuss it among our members, and the members are going to vote how they want to vote on this.”

Noting the resolution is “privileged”—meaning it can go directly to a floor vote without committee action—Ryan reminded the press there would be a vote on it, regardless of how the GOP members vote. The conference vote, however, will provide a good test to see if it has enough Republican support to pass.

It’s not as clear-cut as some may assume. Ryan noted there are some Republicans who oppose the resolution.

“You have members on both sides of this—members on the Judiciary Committee on both sides of this issue,” he said. “This is something where the conference is going to work its will.”

If impeached, Koskinen would face a trial in the U.S. Senate to determine whether or not he will be removed from his job. If removed, he not only loses his government employment, but also his government pension.