Two recent GAO reports help GOP refocus health law opposition

Meanwhile, House Republicans also replaced the law firm handling their lawsuit against President Barack Obama with another Washington firm. The lawyer now handling the case was previously an outside counsel for a House panel when it sued Attorney General Eric Holder in connection to "Operation Fast and Furious."

The Hill: GOP Finds Obamacare Opening
Lifted by a pair of federal audits that found major flaws with the law's implementation, Republicans see their first chance in months to launch a serious attack against the law. ... One report by the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some insurers were ignoring federal rules that prevented women from paying for abortions through their subsidized plans – one of the most divisive pieces of the law. A second GAO report found security weaknesses in healthcare.gov, the website for the federal exchange. GOP lawmakers and activists say the reports lend legitimacy to their opposition of the law, even if they are no longer talking about a repeal (Ferris, 9/21).

The New York Times: Republicans Switch Firm Handling Obama Suit
House Republicans on Friday replaced the firm handling their lawsuit against President Obama after the lawyer representing them pulled out over what was said to be political backlash among his colleagues at the firm, Baker Hostetler. The lawyer, David B. Rivkin Jr., had taken the case on behalf of House Republicans in August, right after they voted to sue the president, accusing him of overstepping the powers of the presidency. Two people with knowledge of the situation said Mr. Rivkin withdrew from the case under pressure after facing criticism that he had taken on an overly partisan lawsuit. ... With Mr. Rivkin's withdrawal, the House Administration Committee signed a new contract on Friday with William A. Burck, co-head of the Washington office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Mr. Burck had served as outside counsel for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform when House Republicans sued Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to produce documents related to the botched gunrunning investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious (Parker, 9/19).