House Republicans made waves yesterday by introducing a measure to impeach IRS commissioner John Koskinen, accusing him of making "false statements" under oath and failing to comply with a subpoena for evidence.
Fox News reports:
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and 18 other committee members introduced the resolution to begin impeachment proceedings. In doing so, they followed through on a threat first made over the summer, when Republicans accused the IRS leader of making inaccurate statements to Congress regarding the Tea Party targeting scandal and its aftermath.
"Commissioner Koskinen violated the public trust," Chaffetz said in a statement Tuesday. "He failed to comply with a congressionally issued subpoena, documents were destroyed on his watch, and the public was consistently misled.
"Impeachment is the appropriate tool to restore public confidence in the IRS and to protect the institutional interests of Congress."
Many Americans will likely agree with this course of action, but, if they succeed, will Koskinen’s replacement be any more responsive to the will of the American people? Or will we find ourselves in another John Boehner situation, in which we cheer his retirement until we realize his successor is unlikely to fight any harder for true conservative principles?
The real problems in D.C. aren’t personal -- they’re structural. The federal government wields untold amounts of power, and the states and the people are helpless to stop it. IRS commissioners and Speakers of the House know this and inevitably abuse their position.
An Article V Convention of States -- by proposing constitutional amendments -- is the only solution that can address these structural problems. Properly worded amendments can restore the balance of power between D.C., the states, and the people, returning our country to a true constitutional republic.
