After state governors of Indiana, Texas and Wisconsin speculated taking legal action against President Obama's immigration executive order, a pro-impeachment Republican is now claiming that "12 or 14" of his congressional colleagues believe it would be possible to impeach the president over his decision to unilaterally grant temporary relief to millions of undocumented immigrants, Newsmax reported.
"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 on Tuesday, in comments first reported by BuzzFeed News.
Since the subject of impeachment isn't very appealing, "nobody wants to talk even about it," Jones lamented. But it might be the only possible way to halt the action to defer millions of deportations.
"Why in the world are we going to 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."
However, 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.
Currently, House conservatives are reportedly working on a government spending legislation that seeks to avoid a shutdown fight, but still allows the party to strike back at Obama's immigration order by making sure that "no part of any appropriation" could be used to enact his executive amnesty.
Specifically, their main aim is to restrict or halt the use of federal funds from agencies that would implement the president's executive immigration policy.
On Tuesday, "GOP leaders in the House said 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," according to The Hill.
Additionally, "they may also pass a symbolic bill that states that the president does not have the authority to delay deportations."
Meanwhile, Obama's plan will suspend deportation of 5 million undocumented immigrants and expand policy of "deferred action" on deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the country as children, as well as for parents of U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents, The Hill reported.
