A Michigan state lawmaker on Monday announced he will mount a primary challenge to Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) after the congressman tweeted that he believed President Trump had committed impeachable offenses, according to the Detroit Free Press.
{mosads}State Rep. Jim Lower (R) said he would challenge Amash in the Republican primary for his western Michigan seat rather than seek a third term in the state legislature.
Lower said he had been planning to run before Amash’s remarks but fast-tracked his announcement after the tweets this weekend despite originally planning to make it closer to July 4.
Amash drew fire from Trump on Sunday for tweeting that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report detailed “impeachable conduct” and that Attorney General William Barr had misrepresented Mueller’s findings.
“Mueller’s report identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence,” Amash said.
Trump fired back, calling Amash a “total lightweight” and accusing him of making the comments “for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy.”
Lower has seized on the back and forth.
“Congressman Justin Amash’s 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,” Lower said, according to the newspaper. “He must be replaced and I am going to do it.”
Amash previously faced a primary challenge in 2014, topping businessman Brian Ellis by 14 points. Amash’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Updated at 9:03 a.m.