Erin Kelly

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — A House committee voted Wednesday to censure IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for what Republicans allege was his obstruction of an investigation into whether the IRS improperly scrutinized Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status.

Democrats on the panel denounced the action as a "travesty" that publicly defames an honorable public servant. The IRS had no immediate response, but Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew defended Koskinen as "an outstanding public servant of the highest integrity with decades of experience leading both public and private institutions."

Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 23-15 along party lines to approve a resolution condemning and censuring Koskinen and expressing the sense of the House that he engaged in a pattern of conduct inconsistent with the trust and confidence placed in him.

The resolution urges the 76-year-old Koskinen to resign or be removed by President Obama. It also requires him to forfeit his government pension and any other federal benefits. Koskinen has vowed to finish his term, which ends in November 2017.

Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz said the resolution passed Wednesday was "a helpful first step" toward the impeachment of Koskinen, an option that is being considered by the House Judiciary Committee. The judiciary panel is scheduled to hold a hearing on June 22 to consider impeachment.

For Koskinen to be censured or impeached, legislation must be approved by the full House and the Senate. The Senate is considered unlikely to approve either option. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has said publicly that he doesn't support impeachment.

Republicans on the House oversight panel said Koskinen failed to comply with a subpoena, allowed key evidence to be destroyed, failed to testify truthfully under oath, provided false and and misleading information to Congress, and failed to notify Congress that key evidence was missing.

Koskinen was not at the IRS when allegations surfaced that the agency was targeting conservative groups for added scrutiny, but Republicans said he obstructed the committee's investigation after becoming commissioner in December 2013. Koskinen has held a variety of positions in government and came out of retirement at the request of President Obama to take over the troubled agency.

"Because of the actions of Mr. Koskinen, Americans will never know the truth about why their First Amendment rights were violated," said Chaffetz, referring to allegations that the IRS targeted non-profit groups that espoused conservative ideology. "For these reasons, Mr. Koskinen should face the ultimate repercussion and be impeached. Toward that end, censure is a helpful first step. We owe it to the American people to ensure their government officials are held accountable for misconduct."

Democrats said investigations by the Republican-appointed inspector general of the IRS found no evidence that anyone at the IRS targeted conservative groups for political reasons. The Justice Department also investigated that issue and notified Congress last year that it would not be filing charges against anyone at the IRS.

Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the oversight committee, called the allegations against Koskinen "bogus" and said the censure resolution would unfairly "put a black mark on his life that will follow him straight to his grave."

"There was no politically motivated targeting at the IRS, there was no lying to Congress, there was no obstruction of justice," Cummings said. "It simply didn't happen. After three years...it's finally time to put this baseless conspiracy theory to rest...It's time to give up on this one."

Lew, who oversees the IRS as treasury secretary, urged the House to "keep its focus on the needs of the American people, not the kind of political agenda that an impeachment vote here would represent."

"From the day he began his leadership of the IRS, John and his staff have cooperated with Congress," Lew said in a statement. "And despite facing massive budget cuts, the IRS continues to carry out its mission of enforcing our nation's tax laws while striving to provide quality service to taxpayers. It is critical that John has the tools he needs to keep his focus on driving the important work the IRS conducts on behalf of the American people."

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents Washington, D.C., said Republicans' ultimate goal of impeaching Koskinen "will mean nothing and will go nowhere."

"It will fade into history as another example of the stark partisanship of this committee," she said.

The controversy over the IRS's treatment of conservative groups arose in 2013, when former IRS official Lois Lerner acknowledged that the agency had inappropriately delayed the tax-exemption applications of groups using "tea party" or other politically charged terms in their names, and had subjected some of those groups to invasive questions. Her admission touched off a firestorm of criticism, with Republicans charging that the Obama administration was using the IRS to target political opponents.

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