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Impeach the IRS

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When the framers drafted our constitution, they wanted to make sure there were enough checks and balances to protect the citizens from any abuse of power. One of those checks was the constitutional power given to the House of Representatives to impeach anyone who abused their office. Sadly, this check on power is rarely used anymore.

George Will, in a recent column, makes a compelling case for the House of Representatives to impeach the current IRS director. Executive officers can be impeached for three reasons. The current IRS director is 3 for 3. He can be impeached for dereliction of duty because he failed to disclose the disappearance of the IRS emails germane to the congressional investigation. He can be impeached for failure to comply because he and his agency have not complied with the investigation. And he can be impeached for breach of trust because of his refusal to testify accurately before Congress and due to his failure to keep his promises to Congress.

Representative Jason Chaffetz is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He says the IRS has “lied to Congress” and “destroyed documents under subpoena.” He has accused the IRS chairman of “lies, obfuscation and deceit.”

On my radio program, I have interviewed many of the conservative groups who Lois Lerner and other IRS employees kept from obtaining their tax-exempt status. When Congress requested the emails of Lois Lerner, the IRS director complained that it would be a time-consuming effort. Meanwhile, Congress discovered that the backup tapes of the 24,000 Lerner emails were destroyed.

There is more than enough evidence to warrant impeachment proceedings against the IRS director. The House should impeach even if the Senate may not be willing to convict. At the very least the impeachment proceedings will force the mainstream media to cover the IRS abuse.

Viewpoints by Kerby Anderson

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