Story highlights An impeachment resolution is considered a "privileged matter," which gives it special rules

Republicans arguing for Koskinen's removal believe he defied Congress

(CNN) Divisions among House Republicans spilled out onto the House floor late Tuesday when conservatives ignored appeals from their leaders and President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and tried to force a vote to impeach the IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

The effort failed when rank and file members of both parties sidelined the resolution voting overwhelmingly to refer it to a committee, which effectively kills it for the year.

Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, a leader of the House Freedom Caucus, offered the privileged resolution, which under House rules would have required leaders to schedule a vote on the issue. Top Republican leaders had urged Jordan and other Freedom Caucus members not to force the issue Tuesday and argued if they did it could sidetrack Trump's agenda in the new Congress in January because the issue would have carried over.

Republicans arguing for Koskinen's removal believe he defied Congress after a scandal in which some agency employees allegedly targeted conservative political groups, despite the fact that Koskinen joined the IRS after the controversy came to light.

An impeachment resolution is considered a "privileged matter" and would have to be taken up by the Senate immediately. If Senate Republicans wanted to move off the issue they would need 60 votes, meaning the support of some Democrats, to do it.

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