Vocal Donald Trump critic and Independent Justin Amash recently said that his former Republican colleagues are “denying reality” in their defense of the president’s recent Ukraine scandal. On Saturday, Amash once again waded into the scandal, this time addressing South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who suggested that the impeachment proceedings against Trump stem from “hearsay testimony.”
“The White House itself released a memorandum of the telephone conversation, and the president has admitted to wrongdoing, even if he claims not to understand why it’s wrong,” Amash tweeted .
“Nearly every Trump ally’s defense has been an effort to gaslight America.”
Amash was the first Republican to call for Trump’s impeachment following the release of Robert Mueller’s report outlining the findings of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He has been highly critical of the direction of the current GOP and believes that Nancy Pelosi held off on impeachment for selfish reasons.
According to Amash, his departure from the GOP led to praise from Republicans that privately supported his move to being an independent. During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Amash said he also received Republican support when be became the first member of the party to support Trump’s impeachment, HuffPost reports.
“When I was discussing impeachment, I had fellow colleagues and other Republicans, high-level officials, contacting me saying, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing.’”
The 39-year-old Michigan Representative said that a fear of speaking out is a “problem for our country.” He claims that Trump’s expectation of loyalty from Republicans has led to a hyper-partisan Congress that doesn’t operate the way that it should.
“People are elected to Congress with an oath to support and defend the Constitution, not an oath to support and defend one person, the president, who happens to be from your own party,” he said.
Here are two issues I tweeted about on Tuesday. In each case, I defend our Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the orderly working of our American institutions—and, in each case, the partisan reactions were perfectly predictable. The two-party system is hurting America. https://t.co/os5ZrBYPE9 pic.twitter.com/EbnL9LHax6
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) June 12, 2019
It appears that Amash has gotten his way. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently announced formal impeachment proceedings against Trump. In addition, The Hill reports that a NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist poll shows that nearly half of Americans now support the impeachment of Trump.
As for libertarian-leaning congressman, rumors have been swirling that he’s eyeing a presidential run as a Libertarian Party candidate. According to one source , Amash is likely waiting to see how much support he has within the party and his chances of securing the nomination. However, Amash has also stated that he would only make such a run if he believed it was the best way to use his skills and public influence to serve the country.