John Koskinen, the nominee to lead the Internal Revenue Service, will head to Capitol Hill this week for closed-door meetings with Senate Finance Committee members, Reuters reported Thursday.Patrick Temple-West writes Koskinen, if confirmed, would have to work to recapture public trust because of a scandal about IRS’ special treatment of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.
“First and foremost, he must work to regain the trust of the American people,” panel chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont, said in a statement, according to the report.
Reuters reports Koskinen is known for turning around companies and government organizations.
The article notes he oversaw a federal effort to address the Y2K computer issue and led Freddie Mac as non-executive chairman during the global financial crisis.
Koskinen served as deputy mayor and city administrator in Washington from 2000 until 2003.
He has donated $80,000 to support Democratic political campaigns since 1989, according to public campaign records obtained by Retuers.
“With his political donations to one party, this nominee might have to work a little harder than he might otherwise to show he can be fair and objective in cleaning up the current scandal,” Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement.
