Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) argued Tuesday that the law firm hired to litigate on behalf of House Republicans to sue President Obama had conflicts of interest.
Slaughter, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, noted that BakerHostetler, which will represent House Republicans in their lawsuit against President Obama, is also a lobbying firm that advocates on issues before Congress.
{mosads}”This no-bid, $500-per-hour, taxpayer-funded contract is exactly why Democrats on the Rules Committee insisted on transparency and accountability as Republicans raced to sue the president,” Slaughter said.
During the July House Rules Committee markup on the resolution authorizing the lawsuit, Democrats offered 11 amendments that included preventing legal contracts with a lobbying firm or consultants who lobby on implementation of the healthcare law.
On Monday, House Administration Committee Chairwoman Candice Miller (R-Mich.) signed a contract with BakerHostetler that will pay its legal counsel $500 per hour with an overall cap of $350,000.
Additionally, David Rivkin, the partner who signed the contract on behalf of BakerHostetler, previously represented the 26 states that challenged the healthcare law’s individual mandate and Medicare changes.
“Those states would all be affected by the outcome of the House’s lawsuit, creating a conflict of interest,” Slaughter said.
Slaughter further contended that the lawsuit is only meant to appease far-right House conservatives who have called for President Obama’s impeachment.
“This lawsuit is destined to fail and it’s only a matter of time before the Tea Partyers in the House push Boehner to do what they really want: impeach the president,” Slaughter said.