William Burck is a former special counsel for the Bush White House. New law firm in GOP Obama suit

House Republicans have replaced the firm managing their lawsuit against President Barack Obama for alleged abuses of executive authority after the first attorney backed out of the contract under political pressure, according to GOP aides.

House Administration Committee Chairwoman Candice Miller (R-Mich.) signed a new contract on Friday with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart’s William Burck after David Rivkin, an attorney with Baker & Hostetler, pulled out from the case.


Baker & Hostetler faced pressure “political pressure,” a Republican leadership aide said after taking the lawsuit on, prompting Rivkin to break his contract with House Republicans. A House staffer said the change of firms came after multiple clients of Baker & Hostetler expressed concern that the firm was engaged in what the companies saw as an overtly partisan lawsuit.

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Neither Rivkin not Burck immediately returned a request for comment.

Burck is a former special counsel President George W. Bush and served as outside counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in the panel’s lawsuit against Attorney General Eric Holder.

The lawsuit centers on the delay of the employer mandate provision of Obamacare — a delay Republicans argue goes beyond Obama’s the executive authority to implement the law. The lawsuit, they argue, is a chance to wage a legislative check on Obama. It was approved by the House in June but has not yet been filed in federal court.

Democrats have widely dismissed the lawsuit as a political stunt.

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“We knew that Speaker Boehner’s $500-per-hour lawsuit was unpopular with the American people. Now, we know it’s just bad business,” said Drew Hammill, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The lawsuit is expected to cost the House $350,000 with Burck billing at $500 an hour.

Separately, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said on CSPAN’s Newsmakers that the Obamacare lawsuit may not be the only legal action the House takes against Obama. The Virginia Republican said that if Obama unveils executive actions on immigration reform in November, the GOP could draft a second lawsuit.