The Obama administration is waving off calls for Internal Revenue Service commissioner John Koskinen to resign, even after hackers successfully accessed data from more than 300,000 taxpayers last year.
During the White House press briefing, Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama has full confidence in the commissioner.
“It is ridiculous for Republicans in Congress, who seek to gut funding for the IRS, in some cases, call for the outright abolition of the agency, to be a fair arbiter of the effectiveness of the IRS commissioner,” Earnest said to reporters this afternoon.
Earnest criticized Republicans, adding that Koskinen’s job was made “more difficult” thanks to Republican trying to cut funding for his agency.
“He is somebody who undertakes that work with a lot of professionalism and seriousness of purpose,” Earnst continued. “And he deserves our gratitude for his good work.”
Rep. Barbara Comstock called for Koskinen’s resignation last week, bringing the issue back into the news.
“Commissioner Koskinen has provided little confidence that cybersecurity is a top priority at the IRS,” Comstock said in a statement.
According to Reuters, more than 60 Republicans signed a resolution to remove Koskinen in October.
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