Arizona's Rep. Gosar is trying to impeach EPA boss

Maybe the third time will be the charm.

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., has launched another drive to remove a top leader in the Obama administration through impeachment.

Gosar plans to introduce legislation soon to impeach Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, accusing her of perjury during congressional testimony on a controversial water rule. He is circulating a letter to House Republicans seeking their support.

He previously has gone after the heads of the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service, with no success yet.

The three-term congressman alleges McCarthy misled Congress by claiming the agency used scientific data in designing the water rule and communicated with states about the rule. Gosar says the EPA did neither.

"Perjury and making false statements to Congress are an affront to the fundamental principles of our republic and the rule of law, and such behavior cannot be tolerated," Gosar wrote in the letter. "This bill holds Administrator McCarthy accountable for her blatant deceptions and unlawful conduct."

EPA spokeswoman Laura Allen said Gosar's campaign has "zero merit" and is "nothing more than political theater."

"Administrator McCarthy is a dedicated public servant who performs her duties with the utmost respect for the law," she said in a written statement. "Protecting public health and the environment for all Americans should not be a political issue. All sides want clean, safe air for their children. We are fulfilling our jobs—as Congress has directed us, and as courts have reaffirmed for us— to protect public health and the environment."

Officials say the rule clarifies the government's jurisdiction over smaller streams and ponds under the Clean Water Act. Arizona's Republican congressmen have criticized the regulation as a power grab that expands burdensome permit requirements across Arizona, including dry washes.