NBC’s David Gregory did his best to dismiss Speaker of the House John Boehner’s soon-to-be lawsuit against President Obama, dismissing it as a “political stunt.”
During an interview with Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, on Meet the Press on Sunday, June 29, Gregory insisted that the lawsuit had no real merit and wondered: “Isn’t this just to gin up the base in the midterms?”
Gregory began his questioning by peddling President Obama’s line that the lawsuit was a “political stunt” before throwing cold water on the merits of the president issuing numerous executive order that Congress objects to. The Meet the Press moderator insisted that “There's no real legal standing on behalf of an institution. The courts are loathe to get involved in two branches fighting with one another. It would take several years to resolve.”
For his part, Priebus shot down Gregory assertion by arguing that “what I see is a Supreme Court now that 12 times over the last three years has struck down the president’s the overreach of growth in government, 9-0. The court just said this past week, that the president overstepped his bounds, which includes the president’s own appointments to the Supreme Court.”
The RNC Chairman continued to slap down the NBC anchor and claimed that President Obama “is overreaching and overtaking a part of the constitution that he doesn't have the authority to take. He doesn't respect the constitution, David.”
See relevant transcript below.
NBC's Meet the Press
June 29, 2014
DAVID GREGORY: Why shouldn't Americans look at this threat of a House Speaker lawsuit, as is the president says a political stunt? There's no real legal standing on behalf of an institution. The courts are loathe to get involved in two branches fighting with one another. It would take several years to resolve. Isn't this just to gin up the base in the midterms?
REINCE PRIEBUS: You know I don’t know about that. I’m a lawyer, I know something about standing. But what I see is a Supreme Court now that 12 times over the last three years has struck down the president’s the overreach of growth in government, 9-0. The court just said this past week, that the president overstepped his bounds, which includes the president’s own appointments to the Supreme Court. I actually think it’s exactly where we need to be. The constitution vests power in we, the people. Article I gives that power to the Congress. The Speaker is in charge of the House. I think he has standing. If he's helping pass laws and the president comes in and says this is the part of the law I'm gonna follow, this is the part I'm not going to follow, this is where I'm going to expand government. He is overreaching and overtaking a part of the constitution that he doesn't have the authority to take. He doesn't respect the constitution, David.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter. [1]