This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Salt Lake Tribune published an editorial recently that scolded Rep. Jason Chaffetz for trying to punish the IRS through the budgeting process because Commissioner John Koskinen won't resign.
The editorial noted that the Utah Republican, by suggesting budget-cutting threats to force Koskinen's hand, could hurt thousands of IRS employees and, by extension, the American people by diminishing the agency's efforts to collect unpaid taxes.
It also called Chaffetz's tactics a form of blackmail to force the commissioner's resignation. Chaffetz asserts that Koskinen should step down because he lied to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which the Utahn heads, about the agency's targeting of conservative groups for audits.
The panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, has called Chaffetz's allegations against Koskinen false. And the Utahn's call for impeachment proceedings against the IRS boss — a procedure almost unheard of for an agency head — seems to be going nowhere.
So Chaffetz is urging Koskinen to bow out for the good of the people and the agency. But I suspect a more sinister motive is at play.
The four-term Utah congressman wants to add to his trophy case, much like the hunters who pay guides thousands of dollars to help them gun down exotic animals so they than can mount heads on their walls.
Instead of paying a professional to help him add to his collection, Chaffetz suggests bleeding the budget of a vital federal agency to further his ego.
I wrote in June about Chaffetz's tacky display on the House Oversight website, parading the pictures of federal officials Chaffetz takes credit for axing.
"Getting results," the site boasts. "The committee is holding government officials accountable for misconduct, incompetence and poor performance. To date, 18 of the 20 individuals called on by Chairman Chaffetz to resign or otherwise be removed from their positions are no longer part of the federal workforce or are no longer in a leadership position."
But the dismissals, resignations, retirements or demotions came after highly publicized mistakes — like the perimeter breach on White House grounds or sexual-harassment allegations that would have led to disciplinary action without a push from Chaffetz.
It appears Chaffetz is seeking a 19th head for the website, and the IRS chief would be the grandest prize of all. The congressman is so adamant about bagging his prey, he is willing to hurt tax-collection efforts and the jobs of thousands of workers by threatening the IRS budget.
He told The Tribune that budget consequences for the IRS would be Koskinen's fault for refusing to resign. But Koskinen is appointed by the president and serves that master as well as the public, which has not shown the appetite Chaffetz has for the IRS leader to go.
Even Chaffetz's GOP colleagues have not shared his enthusiasm for the commissioner's hide. But then they don't have a trophy case to fill.