Boehner: Obama's 'flippant' dismissal of Constitution means we have to sue

WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- House Speaker John Boehner is hitting back at President Obama after the president called the speaker's plans to file a lawsuit a "stunt."

Boehner, penning an op-ed for CNN Monday, accused Obama of violating his oath of office and said the president's response to the lawsuit was "disappointing."

"What's disappointing is the president's flippant dismissal of the Constitution we are both sworn to defend," Boehner wrote. "It is utterly beneath the dignity of the office. I know the president is frustrated. I'm frustrated. The American people are frustrated, too."

Since confirming his plans to file a lawsuit accusing the president of overstepping his constitutional authority by using executive actions, Boehner has declined to say specifically which actions the House legislation will name in a bill to authorize the lawsuit.

He has, however, repeatedly used Obama's actions in implementing the Affordable Care Act, immigration policy, energy regulations and foreign policy as reasons for refusing to bring up a number of high-profile bills in the House, saying those actions made it impossible for Republicans to trust the president to enforce any law they do pass.

Obama and his fellow Democrats have waved away that line of reasoning as an excuse for inaction.

"The suit is a stunt, but what I've told Speaker Boehner directly is, 'If you're really concerned about me taking too many executive actions, why don't you try getting something done through Congress?'" Obama said on June 26.

"As long as they're doing nothing, I'm not going to apologize for doing something," he added, in a speech on July 1. "So sue me."