GOP leaders actively working to stop IRS impeachment

House Republican leaders remain opposed to a vote on impeaching IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, and were actively working Tuesday to scuttle the vote before Congress leaves town for the year this week.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the outgoing Freedom Caucus chairman, announced Tuesday that an impeachment resolution would be introduced today, setting up a vote later this week. But GOP leaders don't like the move to force a vote, and have been working for months to prevent it from coming to the floor, including by trying to appease proponents of the move by holding hearings on the embattled IRS leader.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., may have a chance to convince Jordan's side not to introduce the measure today. Ryan and Jordan were expected to meet, as they do once a week when the House is in session, and the impeachment resolution was likely to be part of their lunch discussion.

But for now, Rep. John Fleming, R-La., was expected to call up the resolution in the afternoon. That will force a vote either on the resolution itself, or a motion to table it.

Republicans fear if the House votes to impeach Koskinen, which requires a simple majority, the critical GOP legislative calendar for 2017 will be essentially blown apart