Justin Amash Blasts Marco Rubio For Comments On Impeachment Trial
Independent and former Republican Justin Amash took to Twitter Tuesday to criticize Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and his comments on the forthcoming Senate trial on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. According to Rubio, the evidence in the impeachment trial must match the evidence and testimony that the House relied on when passing articles of impeachment, suggesting he his not open to hearing from witnesses during the trial.
“Our job is to vote on what the House passed, not to conduct an open ended inquiry,” Rubio concluded his tweet.
Amash doesn’t appear to agree.
“What @marcorubio proposes here is not at all how a trial works. It’s how a double standard works: There’s one standard of justice for the people and another standard of justice for President Trump and other elites.”
Whether the trial will include witnesses is a point of contention that has divided Democrats and Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has so far rejected Democratic demands of witness testimony from former White House national security adviser John Bolton and three other witnesses, as well as documents that are reportedly being withheld by the White House, CNN reports.
Adding to the pressure McConnell is facing, Bolton recently revealed that — after “careful consideration and study” — he is open to testifying in the Senate trial if he is subpoenaed. Given that Bolton can likely shed light on the events that led to Trump’s impeachment for his Ukraine dealings, his testimony could be crucial in the case.
Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI): "Trump has abused and violated the public trust …. His actions reflect precisely the type of conduct the framers of the Constitution intended to remedy through the power of impeachment. And it is our duty to impeach him." pic.twitter.com/Fpeb1odJgy
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 18, 2019
Amash could also play a vital role in the Senate trial. As The Inquisitr previously reported, a group of freshman Democrats led by Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips is pushing to have the Michigan Rep. be an impeachment manager in the upcoming trial in the upper chamber.
“To the extent that this can be bipartisan, it should, and I think including Representative Amash amongst the impeachment managers is a smart move both for the country, for the substance and for the optics,” Phillips said, per The Washington Post.
The decision will fall to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is still holding on to the two articles of impeachment against Trump, according to The Guardian. Regardless, Phillips claims that Amash agreed to consider the position if asked.
As of now, McConnell is reportedly planning a set of rules for the impeachment trial. He allegedly has enough support from his 53-member caucus to do so without Democratic support.
