Fox News Insider
2/4/2014
A Republican senator is calling on the administration to present legal justification for its increasing use of executive orders. In last week’s State of the Union address, President Obama laid out 12 such executive actions, prompting a letter from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) to the Justice Department.
“The president has made it clear that he’ll circumvent Congress if it doesn’t act on the president’s priorities. His actions suggest a certain amount of disrespect for the legislative branch and the checks and balances set forth in the Constitution,” Grassley wrote in the letter to Eric Holder.
Judge Andrew Napolitano reacted this afternoon, saying it is normal for a president to issue executive orders that guide the executive branch on how to enforce a law or that complement and supplement what Congress has already done.
“If he issues an executive order that frustrates federal law or contradicts federal law or does the opposite of what the federal law is supposed to do – as he has done – then he’s in very, very dangerous territory. He has an obligation to explain the legal basis for it,” said Napolitano, adding that he doesn’t believe the administration will reveal any legal basis because none exists.
Watch the Judge’s analysis on Fox News Insider.
