White House keeps its distance from Boeing lawsuit

By Keith Laing - 05/12/11 10:04 AM ET

The White House will not comment on the National Labor Relations Board's complaint against Boeing because the panel is an "independent agency," a spokesman said this week.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and several GOP senators have argued that the NLRB's effort to block Boeing from locating a new plant in South Carolina is an assault on capitalism.

South Carolina is a "right-to-work" state, with laws on the books that generally prohibit mandatory union membership.

The NLRB has argued that Boeing wants to build the plant in South Carolina to retaliate for labor strikes in Washington state. Republicans say the lawsuit shows the Obama administration is too cozy with unions.

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Wednesday said the matter is between Boeing and the NLRB.

"Well, it’s obviously been in the news, so we are aware of it, but I would refer any questions about it to the NLRB because it is an independent agency, and we do not get involved in particular enforcement matters of independent agencies," Carney told reporters.

"I don't have a reaction to this from the president," Carney said. "And I think the fact that he’s weighed in on outside issues doesn't mean that he will weigh in on an independent agency’s enforcement action."

Carney quickly pivoted to one of the White House's preferred economic talking points for the week, the announcement that General Motors would invest $2 billion in plants across the country as it continues recovering from bankruptcy.

"On the broader point about capitalism and our support for it, I just want to remind you that yesterday General Motors announced that it would hire 4,200 workers at 17 of its plants around the country," Carney said.

The White House has taken credit for the GM turnaround, saying that President Obama's "tough love" during his stewardship of the bailout the company received put it on the right track.

Boeing Vice President and General Counsel J. Michael Luttig will testify before a Senate committee Thursday morning.