Republican Congressman Justin Amash calls for Trump impeachment
President Trump dismissed Amash on Twitter calling him 'a total lightweight'; Mike Emanuel reports.
Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., continued criticizing President Trump on Thursday, claiming that he engaged in both "inherently corrupt" actions as well as actions that were corrupt because of his intent.
"Some of the president's actions were inherently corrupt. Other actions were corrupt -- and therefore impeachable -- because the president took them to serve his own interests," Amash tweeted.
His comments expanded on tweets from Saturday in which the Michigan congressman accused Trump of engaging in "impeachable conduct." Those comments provoked widespread criticism from Republicans like the president, who called him a "total lightweight."
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Amash argued on Thursday that Trump committed a slew of acts that showed him trying to impede the Russia investigation.
Amash also indicated that Trump engaged in criminal activities, including the campaign finance violation committed by his former attorney Michael Cohen.
His comments followed Democratic furor over former White House counsel Don McGahn's refusal to testify before the House Judiciary Committee. Trump's Justice Department has asserted executive privilege in refusing to comply with Democrats' subpoenas -- sparking outrage from Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., accused the head of that department -- Attorney General William Barr -- of shirking his responsibilities in the way that he defended Trump.
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"I hesitate to call him the attorney general, he’s really more the personal attorney for the president," Schiff said during an event on Wednesday. He also claimed that Trump didn't have an absolute right to fire his personnel.
“The fact that the president has the right to fire an FBI director doesn't mean that he has the right to fire one for an improper reason any more than an employer who has an at-will employee can fire them because they reject their sexual advances," he said in response to a controversial memo that Barr issued before his confirmation.
Like Schiff, Amash said on Thursday that Trump's ability to fire people was limited. "The president has authority to fire federal officials, direct his subordinates, and grant pardons, but he cannot do so for corrupt purposes," Amash tweeted.
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"[O]therwise, he would always be allowed to shut down any investigation into himself or his associates, which would put him above the law."
In a similar vein, Amash reiterated his suggestion that Trump violated the public's trust by misusing his authority.
"The president has an obligation not to violate the public trust, including using official powers for corrupt purposes," he tweeted.
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In one of his Saturday tweets, Amash argued that violating public trust was within the scope of "high crimes and misdemeanors" -- the constitutional language surrounding impeachment.
While Amash pushed impeachment, Democratic leadership seemed to hesitate and struggle with its other members who forcefully pushed for that course of action.
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