Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) again gave his interpretation of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on now-debunked collusion between the 2016 Trump and Russia, claiming that some of the president’s actions were “inherently corrupt” and that he could be impeached for obstructing justice.
The libertarian-leaning Amash has rocketed into Resistance folk-hero status after accusing President Trump of “impeachable” offenses based on Mueller’s report. The Michigan congressman also accused Attorney General William Barr of misrepresenting the special counsel’s findings. Mueller found no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the election, and further, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that the president did not obstruct justice based on the special counsel’s findings.
“Mueller’s report describes a consistent effort by the president to use his office to obstruct or otherwise corruptly impede the Russian election interference investigation because it put his interests at risk,” Amash wrote on Twitter Thursday.
“President Trump had an incentive to undermine the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which included investigating contacts between Russia and the Trump campaign,” the lawmaker added, stating that the Mueller probe detailed “very unflattering information” about Trump and revealed crimes committed by his associates.
Amash then went on to tweet several actions which he cast as Trump attempting to obstruct justice, including directing then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to ask the Justice Department to fire Mueller.
“The president has authority to fire federal officials, direct his subordinates, and grant pardons, but he cannot do so for corrupt purposes; otherwise, he would always be allowed to shut down any investigation into himself or his associates, which would put him above the law,” the Republican lawmaker added.
Amash is facing fierce criticism from Republicans over his remarks and has even earned himself a primary challenge from a self-described “pro-Trump” Michigan state representative. Michigan State Rep. Jim Lower (R) announced Monday he will mount a primary challenge to the congressman. Lower was expected to officially launch his campaign around July 4th but moved up the announcement after the controversy blew up.
“Congressman Justin Amash tweets yesterday calling for President Trump’s impeachment show how out of touch he is with the truth and how out of touch he is with people he represents,” said Lower. “He must be replaced and I am going to do it.”
On Wednesday, fellow libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) broke with Amash, saying that the Mueller probe was the “antithesis of libertarianism.”
“I actually think the libertarian position on the investigation is ― you know, libertarians, we’ve been very, very critical of the intelligence community having too much power, including congressman Amash has said, you know, really you should have to get a warrant before you get an American’s records,” Paul told the Huffington Post.
Read Amash’s latest Twitter thread below: