Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is indicating a willingness to sue Donald Trump if he tries to ban Muslims from entering the United States as president.
In an interview with The Huffington Post published Friday, Ryan didn’t rule out suing a Republican president over executive overreach.
“I would sue any president that exceeds his or her powers,” he said.
Still, Ryan didn’t say directly whether he thought Trump enacting a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. would exceed the limits of presidential authority.
“That’s a legal question that there’s a good debate about,” Ryan said, referring to the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act.
Trump has doubled down on the proposal after the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday. The Speaker distanced himself from the idea again this week after previously condemning it late last year.
House Republicans this week unveiled another plank of their six-part policy platform, which is aimed at drawing a contrast with Democrats ahead of the elections. The plank released Thursday calls on the legislative branch to restore its authority over what Republicans see as executive overreach under President Obama.
Despite endorsing Trump, Ryan has said he will continue to express disagreements with the businessman when he feels conservative principles are being violated.
Ryan said in the Huffington Post interview that his endorsement of Trump doesn’t amount to a “blank check.” On Thursday, the Speaker told reporters at his weekly Capitol news conference that he doesn’t plan to rescind his endorsement.
“I don’t know what that line is,” Ryan said, “but right now, I want to make sure that we win the White House.”
House Republicans have shown a willingness to sue a president over executive overreach.
Two years ago, the House voted to file a lawsuit against Obama to protest against what lawmakers saw as overstepping his authority on enforcing the healthcare law and immigration statute.
The lawsuit focuses on Obama’s decision to delay the healthcare law’s employer mandate, which requires employers with 50 or more workers to provide insurance coverage.
So far, that lawsuit remains mired in the court system. A judge ruled in favor of House Republicans in May, but that decision could be reversed on an appeal from the Obama administration.