Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, seated at right, waits for the start of the House Judiciary Committee for a hearing on America's Immigration System on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Other members waiting for the hearing to start include, from left, Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., Rep. Doug Collins, R-Fla., Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. Credit: AP
Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) in a Thursday radio interview revealed he is exploring the potential options that would allow Congress to file civil or criminal charges against members of the Obama administration and even President Barack Obama himself.
Citing the Obama administration's delay in the implementation of the employer mandate found in "Obamacare," Marino told radio host David Madeira that the president continues to show a disregard for the law. He also argued Attorney General Eric Holder is never going to hold the Obama administration accountable.
"If the chief law enforcer of the country [Holder] will not enforce the law," said Marino, "and the president decides to break the law because he doesn't like it, there has to be another mechanism by which we in Congress can ... see if there are criminal charges we can file."
Marino is looking to "investigate, identify and prosecute people within the administration, up to and including the president if it comes to that," according to Sarah Wolf, Marino’s spokeswoman.
More from the Huffington Post:
While Marino is a longtime critic of Obama, he maintained that his cry for legal action stemmed not from personal distaste for the president but from a greater respect for the nation's well being. "We're beyond the point of showing that he's incompetent," Marino said. "He really doesn't care about where this country is going unless it's his plan, so we have to step up."The congressman likened Obama's action to the Watergate scandal, suggesting that a special committee should be established to subpoena and investigate the individuals involved. More specifically, he said, he seeks to find "a part of a statute that says we have the authority to indict."
In the same interview, Marino said he is planning a "brainstorming session" with some former prosecutors in Congress about the potential legal measures that can be taken against the Obama administration.
He claims he is not alone in his desire to bring criminal charges against the White House.
Listen to the audio of the interview here.
This story has been updated.
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