Independent Rep. Justin Amash argued that President Trump’s July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine is exactly the type of scenario the House’s impeachment power should be used to penalize.
Amash argued for impeachment on the House floor ahead of a scheduled vote. The Michigan representative is a former Republican who came out in favor of impeaching Trump following the release of ex-special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Trump campaign’s alleged Russian collusion.
“I come to this floor not as a Democrat, not as a Republican, but as an American who cares deeply about the Constitution, the rule of law, and the rights of the people,” Amash said. “President Donald J. Trump has abused and violated the public trust by using his high office to solicit the aid of a foreign power, not for the benefit of the United States of America, but instead for his personal and political gain.”
“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,” Amash added.
Mueller’s report was released months before the phone call at the center of the current impeachment proceedings against Trump.
House Democrats introduced two articles of impeachment on Dec. 10. The first article accuses the president of abusing his power, and the second article accuses him of obstructing Congress.
Trump blasted the articles as “flimsy” and “pathetic” hours after House Democrats introduced them.
“Today, the House Democrats announced these two flimsy, pathetic, ridiculous articles of impeachment,” Trump said at a Pennsylvania rally. “With today’s announcement, they are now admitting there was no collusion, there was no obstruction of justice, and there were no crimes, whatsoever!”
