Will Trump Fire IRS Commissioner Koskinen?

President Donald Trump – billionaire and former star of the TC show “the Apprentice” – could soon be informing IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, “You’re fired.”

According to various media reports, including those from the Washington Examiner and Newsmax, a group of conservative Republican leaders in Congress met with Vice President Mike Pence last week behind closed doors. Among other issues that were raised, the GOP faction urged Pence to encourage his boss to sack the head honcho of the IRS.

In fact, the call to remove Koskinen is more than just backroom whispers. Representative Mark Walker (R-NC), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, has been quietly circulating a letter inside the GOP’s inner sanctum. Reportedly, he has obtained signatures of at least 50 members of Congress in support of the move, with others expected to follow.

This is hardy Koskinen’s first trip to the hot seat. Republican leaders were demanding his ouster last year over an alleged cover-up of the Tea Party scandal and refusal to take decisive action against the accused perpetrators. The Tea Party scandal unfolded when it was revealed that certain IRS staffers had exerted extra scrutiny on applications for tax-exempt status submitted by conservative-leaning organizations.

But demands to impeach Koskinen, spearheaded by House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) were eventually derailed. President Obama refused to bite and, as Congress focused its efforts on other areas – including the national elections – the impeachment resolution never even came to a vote. Now the letter penned by Walker is reviving the issue.

Walker reiterates the accusations that the IRS improperly targeted conservative nonprofit groups and that Koskinen was a willing participant in illegal acts. “The consideration of the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in the House in late 2016 was a clear indication that Congress and the American people have no confidence in Commissioner Koskinen or his ability to discharge his duties,” he said.

Furthermore, the letter doesn’t mince any words as to its intent. “You have the authority to remove Commissioner Koskinen,” wrote Walker to Trump. “We encourage you to dismiss him in the most expedient manner practicable.”

Thus far, President Trump hasn’t publicly commented on the matter one way or another. Undoubtedly, he has been consumed by other issues, such as his controversial executive order on immigration. But it’s likely that the IRS Commissioner’s fate will be determined sooner rather than later.