GOP Rep. Insists Lawsuit Against Obama Not Political

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. listens to the testimony of Attorney General Eric Holder, during the committee's hearing on the oversight of the Justice Department, Tuesday, April 8, 201... House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. listens to the testimony of Attorney General Eric Holder, during the committee's hearing on the oversight of the Justice Department, Tuesday, April 8, 2014, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) MORE LESS
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Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), on Sunday defended the GOP’s plan to sue President Obama over his use of executive actions.

“It’s not about our wanting to stop him from doing his job. It’s our wanting to do the job the constitution prescribes,” Goodlatte said about the effort on “Fox News Sunday.”

“It’s very important,” Goodlatte continued. “And this should be bipartisan — people standing up to protect the balance of power.”

Host Chris Wallace then questioned how Republicans could justify a lawsuit when there are other remedies that could be used to curb the president’s power.

Goodlatte again insisted that Congress had the authority to sue Obama.

“We also have the power to bring causes of action when we believe that the President of the United States is exceeding his authority,” he said.

And when Wallace asked Goodlatte if the lawsuit would be pointless since it would probably be dragged out past the end of Obama’s second term, Goodlatte said that the legal process could be sped up and should only take a few months.

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