Does IRS chairman John Koskinen have superpowers?  Or does he know things so incriminating about everyone that he not only retains his job (in the face of demands for his firing), but flaunts his ability to offer succor to abusive bureaucrats?

Ali Meyer reports in the Washington Free Beacon:

The Internal Revenue Service rehired employees who were previously involved in agency misconduct such as falsifying documents or having unauthorized access to sensitive taxpayer information, according to an audit from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Considering that identify theft is a major concern, auditors wanted to inspect the agency to ensure the individuals they hire are of high integrity in safeguarding sensitive taxpayer information.

The auditors found there were 200 employees who were rehired between January 2015 and March 2016 that were terminated or separated from the agency that were either under investigation or had some misconduct that caused them to leave.

This is absolutely unacceptable. The IRS has such fearsome arbitrary power over Americans that it must be like Caesar's wife and above reproach.

Newsmax reports (hat tip:Legal Insurrection):

The report noted more than 200 of the 2,000 former IRS employees hired in 2015 and 2016 had been dismissed by the agency or left while under investigation, according to the Examiner.

Four had cheated on their own tax returns and another four had been probed for improperly accessing taxpayer records, the website said.

"The Internal Revenue Service continues to rehire former employees with conduct and performance issues," the report states.

"Given the substantial threat of identity theft and the magnitude of sensitive information that the IRS holds, hiring employees of high integrity is essential to maintaining public trust in tax administration and safeguarding taxpayer information," the report said.

"The IRS has not effectively updated or implemented hiring policies to fully consider past IRS conduct and performance issues prior to making a tentative decision to hire former employees, including those who were terminated or separated during an investigation of a substantiated conduct or performance issue."

Seriously: what can explain Koskinen's tenure and bizarre behavior?  I hope it has nothing to do with all the secret data he has access to.