Presidential candidate calls for Congressional action
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Friday, January 6, 2012
Presidential candidate Ron Paul has likened Barack Obama’s decision to make appointments to high office without Senate confirmation to the actions of a dictator, pointing out that it is a flagrant violation of the constitution.
Obama’s move to appoint Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as well as a further three appointments to the National Labor Relations Board, is clearly unconstitutional under Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution which states that such appointments cannot be made without Senate confirmation unless the Senate is in recess, which it isn’t.
Accusing Obama of acting in “clear disregard of the Constitution,” Paul said Congressional action may be necessary to reign in Obama’s “flagrant contempt for the rules”.
“It is disappointing that a former constitutional law professor does not understand that the President is not a dictator or a king who can simply ignore the Constitution whenever he feels frustrated by the system of checks and balances wisely put in place by our Founders,” said Paul.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi responded to Obama’s appointments by stating she was “very glad” and “proud” of Obama’s brazen disregard for the rule of law.
Facing criticism over the appointments, Obama himself told an audience on Wednesday, “I refuse to take no for an answer,” acknowledging the fact that Republicans would have attempted to block Cordray’s ascension through the normal legal process in the Senate.
Reaction to the move has been vitriolic. Senator John McCain yesterday labeled the appointments an “absolute abuse of power.” Congressman Dan Burton accused Obama of acting in “direct dereliction of his oath to the American people to protect and defend the American Constitution.”
Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley is calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to provide a formal explanation for the decision, deriding the administration’s claim to be the most transparent in history and accusing the White House of trying to “overturn more than 90 years of Justice Department precedent.”
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Read Ron Paul’s full statement below.
“By making ‘recess’ appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Board (CFPB) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) when Congress is not actually in recess, President Obama has acted in clear disregard of the Constitution.
“And the President must be called to account for his actions.
“It is disappointing that a former constitutional law professor does not understand that the President is not a dictator or a king who can simply ignore the Constitution whenever he feels frustrated by the system of checks and balances wisely put in place by our Founders.
“I have opposed unconstitutional power grabs by Presidents of both parties throughout my Congressional career, and this consistency leaves me as the only Republican candidate with the credibility and the record to challenge President Obama on his continuous overstepping of his constitutional boundaries.
“If the President insists on behaving in such a cavalier manner with regard to requirements set forth by the Constitution, then action by Congress may become necessary to rein in his flagrant contempt for the rules.”
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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show.
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