House turns aside effort to impeach IRS commissioner
WASHINGTON — The House turned aside an eleventh-hour drive Tuesday by hard-right conservatives to impeach the IRS commissioner, with most Republicans concluding the effort could hurt Congress’ hopes of getting a fast start on President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda next year.
By 342-72, lawmakers referred the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, in effect burying it because Congress plans to adjourn soon for the year. Judiciary panel chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has declined to endorse the impeachment effort, underscoring a belief by many Republicans that the actions by the IRS chief, John Koskinen, don’t merit removal.
There was almost no debate. But Republicans said in interviews that a House vote to impeach Koskinen — which would prompt a Senate trial that could last weeks — would slow Congress’ 2017 work on taxes and other issues and give Democrats ammunition to argue the GOP was excessively partisan.
“We’ve been given direction by the last election to get working now on a policy agenda,” said Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla. He said Republicans “need to look into the future.”