Political cartography in Washington can be difficult. After three months in office, it’s clear President Trump doesn’t believe the D.C. bog includes the federal building at the corner of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. He won’t drain the swamp at the Internal Revenue Service.
Famous for firing people, Trump has disrupted the status quo in the nation’s capital with his personnel decisions. He quickly terminated Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, then sacked 46 federal prosecutors. But he won’t ax IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
Conservatives have been gunning for the tax chief’s scalp for years. To no avail, they’ve tried shaming, officially censuring, and impeaching Koskinen. But now that Trump’s in the White House, they’re wondering why the president is sheltering the taxman. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., doesn’t understand why Trump won’t just fire him already.
“I don’t see how you could keep him,” Rep. Ron DeSantis told the Washington Examiner. “He doesn’t have the confidence of anyone in Congress, at least on the Republican side. So just let him go.”
DeSantis was one of the conservatives hoping Trump would have the stomach for the job. So far, DeSantis and his grassroots base have been disappointed though. They still want Koskinen’s head for allowing the destruction of 422 tapes related to the IRS targeting scandal. But on this populist issue, the president seems out of touch with the people.
The Trump White House keeps dodging the question. On Friday, press secretary Sean Spicer referred curious reporters inquiring about Koskinen’s fate to the Treasury Department, even after it came to light that the agency still has 7,000 unreleased documents related to the scandal.
Back channel discussions between lawmakers haven’t been productive either. “I asked Pence about this,” DeSantis said, “a month and a half ago.” The administration reportedly told conservatives to wait until after Steven Mnuchin took the reins at Treasury Secretary. A month after his confirmation, though, and nothing has changed. “He’s confirmed now,” DeSantis said, “but we don’t have a better indication.”
Perhaps imagining this exact scenario, the Freedom Caucus bucked their own leadership and tried to force impeachment through a privileged resolution on the House floor last year. That effort was clearly unsuccessful. And this tax season Americans will send their checks to Koskinen’s agency like they have for the last three years. DeSantis has a hunch this will be the last time. “I’m hearing that Koskinen is ready to step aside,” he said, “but recommended that they wait until taxes are over.”
While that’s still just a rumor, it’s a telling one. Trump has every reason to dismiss the tax agent. With Koskinen at the helm, the IRS was able to cover up its targeting scandal. Brought in by President Obama to clean up the agency’s image, he turned a blind eye as the IRS covered up its scandal and continued to violate citizen’s First Amendment rights.
Apparently, the president only likes firing people on television though. Since taking office, he’s been mum on the issue.
If DeSantis is right, Trump won’t drain the swamp at the IRS until after Tax Day.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
