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Deal averts vote on impeaching head of IRS

Posted at 10:42 PM, Sep 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-14 23:42:53-04
WASHINGTON (AP) — A last-minute deal between conservatives and GOP leaders in the House has averted votes expected Thursday on a measure to impeach the commissioner of the IRS.
 
Instead, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will testify before Congress next week.
 
The conservative House Freedom Caucus celebrated the development as a win late Wednesday, as conservatives had unsuccessfully pushed for hearings.
 
But the development came only after conservatives predicted that their impeachment resolution was going to get sidelined by Democratic and Republican opposition Thursday.
 
Conservatives say Koskinen obstructed the House GOP's investigation of the treatment of tea party groups seeking tax exemptions.
 
But House Republican leadership balked on moving forward on election-year impeachment proceedings, so the Freedom Caucus had used a procedural maneuver that would have forced a floor vote.