By John D. McKinnon
WASHINGTON--A federal judge threatened to hold the Internal
Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen in contempt of court on
Wednesday, after the agency didn't comply with an order to provide
documents in a case about its alleged targeting of conservative
groups.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued the order at a status
hearing in the case brought by the conservative activist group
Judicial Watch. The lawsuit, brought under the Freedom of
Information Act, seeks documents related to alleged IRS targeting
of nonprofit groups as they applied for tax-exempt status starting
in 2010.
Judge Sullivan ordered the IRS on July 1 to start turning over
newly-discovered emails on a weekly basis, and Judicial Watch
complained that the IRS was slow to respond. The emails were from
Lois Lerner, a now-retired IRS official who has been at the center
of congressional investigations. Ms. Lerner has denied any
wrongdoing.
"In the event of noncompliance with future court orders, the
commissioner of the IRS and others shall be directed to show cause
as to why they should not be held in contempt of court," the judge
said, according to official minutes of the hearing.
"Of course, the IRS will comply with the judge's order," the IRS
said in a written statement.
The contempt threat is just the latest headache for Mr.
Koskinen. In fact, it is the second contempt threat he has received
just this week.
On Monday, House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah)
wrote a letter to President Barack Obama, urging him to remove Mr.
Koskinen from office. The move raised the possibility lawmakers
would seek to hold Mr. Koskinen in contempt of Congress, or attempt
to impeach him.
GOP lawmakers are unhappy over a series of events that blocked
them from getting information for their own IRS targeting
probes.
Democrats, including the Obama administration, continue to
vigorously defend Mr. Koskinen, a veteran turnaround specialist who
took over the IRS in late 2013.
Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com