Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump after reading the full report from special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia’s 2016 election meddling.
Amash, who has long been a critic of Trump, voiced his concerns in a series of tweets Saturday afternoon, concluding that Trump’s conduct is worthy of impeachment. Amash is the first Republican congressman to call for Congress to take that action.
“Contrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment,” Amash wrote.
Amash also concluded that Attorney General William Barr willfully misled the public about what was in the report before its release in hopes of downplaying the findings.
“In comparing Barr’s principal conclusions, congressional testimony, and other statements to Mueller’s report, it is clear that Barr intended to mislead the public about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s analysis and findings,” he wrote.
Amash also accused his fellow members of Congress of not actually reading the full report.
“Few members of Congress even read Mueller’s report; their minds were made up based on partisan affiliation—and it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statements on the 448-page report’s conclusions within just hours of its release,” he wrote.
The Michigan congressman was praised by the public and colleagues who applauded his decision to cross party lines.
“America’s institutions depend on officials to uphold both the rules and spirit of our constitutional system even when to do so is personally inconvenient or yields a politically unfavorable outcome,” Amash wrote. “Our Constitution is brilliant and awesome; it deserves a government to match it.”