Jim Jordan calls for removal of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in impeachment hearing

 An Ohio congressman who has long sought the impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen Wednesday argued Koskinen must be punished for thwarting investigation of the scandal.

“You should’ve been gone a long time ago,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, told Koskinen during hours-long House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.

Jordan, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has led an effort to impeach Koskinen, who was appointed to lead the IRS in the aftermath of the agency’s 2013 admission that they had unfairly targeted conservative groups during the 2012 election season.

While Koskinen was not at the agency during the initial scandal, Jordan and other conservatives argue he allowed subpoenaed emails to be destroyed and then didn’t disclose their destruction to Congress until months later. Jordan argued a federal court found in August 2016 that the IRS continues to target several groups, though Koskinen said those cases involve the resolution of years-old cases.

The hearing was the result of a deal last week made after Jordan and other House conservatives tried to force a vote on Koskinen’s impeachment. Conservatives agreed for now not to force a vote before Congress adjourns for the elections.