John Boehner’s Lawyer Quits Because Lawsuit Against Obama Could Harm His Credibility

Speaker of the House John Boehner had to find a new lawyer to represent him in his lawsuit against President Obama after his attorney quit because he was worried that the suit could harm his credibility.

The New York Times reported,

House Republicans on Friday replaced the firm handling their lawsuit against President Obama after the lawyer representing them pulled out over what was said to be political backlash among his colleagues at the firm, Baker Hostetler.

The lawyer, David B. Rivkin Jr., had taken the case on behalf of House Republicans in August, right after they voted to sue the president, accusing him of overstepping the powers of the presidency. Two people with knowledge of the situation said Mr. Rivkin withdrew from the case under pressure after facing criticism that he had taken on an overly partisan lawsuit. Some members of the firm feared the case against Mr. Obama could drive off potential clients and hurt Baker Hostetler’s credibility, according to one of the people with knowledge of the case. Both people said they were prohibited from publicly discussing such a delicate case.

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Boehner’s lawsuit is such a joke that he can’t keep his attorney. The fiasco surrounding the House Republican decision to sue President Obama keeps getting more delightful every day. If there was ever a sign that dropping a lawsuit would be a good idea, your attorney quitting because the suit could harm their credibility is a large omen.

House Republicans have no credibility, so this is a question that they never have to wrestle with. The odds are that Boehner’s lawsuit against the president will end up humiliating Boehner, the Republican Party, and the speaker’s attorney. The lawsuit so extremely partisan and lacking in credibility that no respectable professional should want to be associated with it.

Democrats have already raised millions of dollars off of Boehner’s abuse of the court system. Voters are angry that the speaker would waste millions of dollars of taxpayer money on such a frivolous and partisan pursuit. Democrats are fired up, while Republicans aren’t buying what Rep. Boehner is trying to sell.

All you really need to know about Boehner’s plan to sue the president is that it is such a bad idea that even his own lawyer doesn’t want to be associated with it.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association