GOP lawmaker: ’12 or 14′ other members think impeachment possible

A pro-impeachment Republican said Tuesday that “12 or 14” of his congressional colleagues think it would be possible to impeach the president over his immigration executive order.

“I have been saying down in my district — whenever you reward someone that’s committed a crime, then you as that individual if there’s an impeachment, which was authorized by those who developed the Constitution — then that’s what you should consider,” Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said, in comments made on Newsmax and first reported by BuzzFeed News.

Jones lamented that “nobody wants to talk even about impeachment,” saying he doesn’t find the subject appealing either, but that it may be the only way to halt the action to defer millions of deportations.

“Why in the world are we gonna spend millions and millions of the taxpayers dollars going to the federal courts to challenge President Obama on this decision, and have it thrown out of court? Here we go again as a nation — can’t pay our bills — we gonna go to court and play a little political theater? Make everybody feel good, and then the federal courts kick it out? Use what the Constitution says — but no, we won’t do that.”

Even some of Obama’s harshest detractors on immigration have shied away from the possibility of impeachment.

“I don’t want to do the ‘I-word.’ Nobody wants to throw the nation into that kind of turmoil,” said Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) in November.

Republican have said they are considering defunding the agencies that would implement the executive action. Some have pushed for a full shutdown of the government.

GOP leaders in the House said on Tuesday that they were hoping to pass an omnibus spending bill, as well as a spending measure that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for a shorter period of time, which they hope would give them leverage over the White House.

They may also pass a symbolic bill that states that the president does not have the authority to delay deportations.

Obama’s action will provide legal status and work permits to some immigrants in the U.S. without authorization, as well as make other changes to the immigration system.