Amid multiple scandals, IRS commissioner prepares to enforce Obamacare penalties

Koskinen says he’s an ‘optimist’ as crunch time nears

Just days after clashing sharply with Republican lawmakers over his agency’s political woes, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen said Wednesday he remained an “optimist” despite multiple investigations demanding more information into suspected IRS targeting of conservative and tea party groups for special scrutiny.

“It’s illusory to think that we’ll never have a problem or make a mistake, that things will always go the way we’ve planned,” Mr. Koskinen told a National Press Club luncheon. “Instead, my goal has been for us to find problems quickly, fix them promptly, make sure they stay fixed and, perhaps, most important be transparent about the entire process.”

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