He might excuse himself from cases involving that firm just so he can avoid a conflict of interest.

NPR: Supreme Court Considers 'Valdez' Fine

He lied to amuse himself, to excuse himself, to camouflage himself.

NEWYORKER: Or Else

The irony is that the trial is being held in the courtroom of a federal district judge, Robert Potter, who declined to excuse himself from the case despite the fact that he led a citizens' anti-busing campaign before he joined the bench.

ECONOMIST: Integration (1)

He calls the office and makes an excuse, then he pours himself a bowl of cereal and sits down in front of the television.

NEWYORKER: The TV

Then Dole went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, leaving himself open to unlimited Lawrence Welk jokes and leaving me with little excuse for failing to deal with the stuffed-gopher museum in Torrington, Alberta.

CNN: AllPolitics - Pundits and Prose - Calvin Trillin

But that "excuse me" caught my attention, and the sight of an old man steadying himself as he arose to speak.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Gone Tomorrow'

Could Mr. Schnatter be setting himself up to make a few extra pennies per pie using Obamacare as an excuse or is he simply exaggerating his plight to sell his political narrative?

FORBES: The Corporate Blackmailing Of America Is Now All the Rage