The statements made by Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber added "gasoline" to the controversy about the healthcare law, Republican strategist Karl Rove told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
The statements, made public through video recordings, offer an insider's look at some of the dynamics that took place in developing the healthcare law, as
Gruber said the passage of Obamacare relied on the "stupidity of the American voter" and a lack of "transparency."
"It adds a lot of gasoline to the fire that was already burning there. We're going to see a lot more flames, a lot more smoke, and a lot more conflagration," Rove, who served as deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, said Wednesday.
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Rove said he "absolutely" believed Gruber would be called to testify before Congress, not necessarily for his remarks, but to provide a "more substantive set of inquiries" about Obamacare.
"The key focal point will be the administration made a series of claims to sell this bill that have turned out not to be true," Rove said. "Get him in front of the cameras, and ask him when the president said that, did everybody know that was not true?"
The Obama administration would likely invoke executive privilege for Gruber's testimony "at least with regarding what he said in the Oval Office during that meeting, where we know that he and several other economists were summoned to the White House," Rove said.
However, he said using executive privilege would make the problem worse, because people might "think they had something that they were trying to hide."
Rove predicted Congress next year would pass legislation on changes to Obamacare, such as redefining full-time employment to 40 hours, adding that it would probably pass "with a huge number of Democrat votes."
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