Lee: Obama 'trampling' on Constitution with recess appointments

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) accused President Obama of "trampling" on the U.S. Constitution when he made several contentious recess appointments earlier this month.

The president ignited a partisan controversy when he named Richard Cordray to be director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, as well as three members of the National Labor Relations Board, circumventing GOP opposition in the Senate and ignoring pro forma sessions to do so.

Lee said the move amounted to "thumbing his nose at the U.S. Constitution. That is what happened here."

Support and outrage of the move has largely broken down along partisan lines, but Lee argued that his staunch opposition to the move was not based in party politics.

"America is not a government of one. These are real rights that the president has trampled," he said Wednesday. "I would be just as hard on any Republican president that tried this nonsense."

Lee's comments came as he testified before the House Oversight Committee, which was holding a hearing on the appointments. The Utah Republican was invited to testify after he announced last week that in response to the president's action, he would challenge every upcoming nominee until those picks were rescinded.

GOP lawmakers have been searching for ways to fight back against the White House following those appointments. Some members have refused to acknowledge Cordray as a legitimate director, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) plans to file an amicus brief supporting legal moves by several right-to-work groups challenging the NLRB appointments.

While it is widely expected the appointments will be challenged in court, Lee indicated in his comments that he did not think a member of the Senate could be the one filing suit.

"The most likely type of party that could establish standing would be a party aggrieved by an order [by one of those agencies]," he said.

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