On Saturday, Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) became the first Republican member of Congress to call President Donald Trump’s conduct “impeachable.”
Amash tweeted over the weekend that, according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report, President Donald Trump “has engaged in impeachable conduct” and that “Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.” He went on to say that only a few congresspeople have even read the report. His comments mean there is now a bipartisan call for Trump’s impeachment in U.S. Congress.
“Mueller’s report identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence,” Amash tweeted. “Impeachment, which is a special form of indictment, does not even require probable cause that a crime (e.g., obstruction of justice) has been committed; it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct.”
He continued: “When loyalty to a political party or to an individual trumps loyalty to the Constitution, the Rule of Law — the foundation of liberty — crumbles.”
Contrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 18, 2019
Amash, an attorney who views himself as as strict constitutionalist, joins over 900 former federal prosecutors — that served under both Republican and Democratic administrations — who have stated the same.
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib responded to Amash, tweeting, “You are putting country first, and that is to be commended. We both took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Please let me know if you are interested signing on to the resolution to begin the investigation into impeachment.”
You are putting country first, and that is to be commended. We both took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Please let me know if you are interested signing on to the resolution to begin the investigation into impeachment. https://t.co/f5CT3uB81d
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 18, 2019
Though the congresspeople are on different sides of the political aisle — Tlaib is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and Amash is a Tea Party libertarian, after all — even they agree on the issue and believe Trump behaved in an impeachable way. It makes one wonder, then, why top Democrats won’t do the same.
For example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that impeachment would be “divisive” for the country, at a time when the parties are ramping up for another presidential election. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has said trying to impeach Tump “is not worthwhile at this point.” Democratic committee chairs Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler have made similar comments.
In response to Amash’s tweets, State Rep. Jim Lower (R-Greenville) tweeted that instead of running for a third term in the Michigan House of Representatives, he would instead challenge Amash in a GOP primary for the U.S. House of Representatives in the third congressional district of Michigan.
“Amash has not only failed to support President Trump as the president works to make our country stronger, he has now united with radical liberals like Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) to try and bring down our president,” Lower said in a statement on Sunday.
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