Gowdy: If Obama can ignore laws on immigration, health care, why not election laws?

A dismayed U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., wondered what the limits to executive power are given many of the actions that President Barack Obama has taken with respect to immigration and the Affordable Care Act.

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Gowdy questioned a panel of legal experts on “The President’s Constitutional Duty to Faithfully Execute the Laws,” according to HotAir.

“If the president can fail to enforce immigration laws, can the president likewise fail to enforce election laws?” Gowdy asked Simon Lazarus, senior counsel to the Constitutional Accountability Center.”

When Lazarus replied in the negative, and noted that “we live in a government of laws, and the president is bound to obey them and apply them.”

“Well he’s not applying the ACA [Affordable Care Act], and he’s not applying immigration laws, and he’s not applying marijuana laws, and he’s not applying mandatory minimums. What’s the difference with election laws?” Gowdy shot back.

“We have a disagreement as to whether in fact he is applying those laws. My view is that he is applying those laws,” Lazarus said.

The president has arguably made substantive changes to his signature health care law and has decreed by executive order that he would not prosecute a class of undocumented immigrants who arrived here illegally at a young age.

John Turley, professor at George Washington University Law School was far more definitive in his replies. He expressed a fear that Congress “is being denied the ability to enforce its inherent powers” when questioned by Gowdy.

“The president is outside the line, but it has to go in front of a court, and that court has to grant review, and that’s where we have the most serious constitutional crisis I view in my lifetime, and that is this body is becoming less and less relevant,” Turley said.

Watch the exchange below, and when you finish, check out A cappella group’s amazing version of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ goes insanely viral.

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