Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Don’t dismiss the possibility of the House of Representatives bringing articles of impeachment against President Obama, senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer said Friday.
“I think a lot of people in this town laugh that off,” Pfeiffer said at a breakfast with reporters in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “I would not discount that possibility. I think that [House] Speaker [John] Boehner, by going down this path of this lawsuit, has opened the door to Republicans possibly considering impeachment at some point in the future.”
He went on to say that the executive actions being considered by the White House on immigration would probably “up the likelihood” of impeachment, making the point that lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have already said that the president is violating the law with his unilateral moves on immigration.
Pfeiffer noted that the House is set to file a formal lawsuit next week against the president over his executive actions. While the idea of impeachment is only being discussed by the likes of Sarah Palin — and very few elected lawmakers — that could change.
He went on to say that the White House views the lawsuit as “validation” of its “year of action” strategy, saying of executive actions: “If they were small-ball, the Republicans would not be suing over them.”
Asked whether impeachment would be good for the president, Pfeiffer said: “No, I don’t think so.”
Boehner, who has publicly ruled out impeachment, responded in a statement through his spokesman.
“We have a humanitarian crisis at our border, and the White House is making matters worse with inattention and mixed signals,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement. “It is telling, and sad, that a senior White House official is focused on political games, rather than helping these kids and securing the border.”
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