McCarthy says Amash is ‘out of step with America,’ ‘constituents will have the final say’
Top Republicans in the House haven’t inflicted any formal repercussions on Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) following his comments in support of impeaching President Trump, but have instead hinted he’ll likely face a strong primary challenge ahead of the next election and any repercussions will come from voters.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who previously dismissed the Michigan Republican’s impeachment remarks as “just looking for attention,” told reporters Tuesday that Amash is “out of step with this conference” and “out of step with America” and the decision on whether he’ll remain in the House will remain in the hands of the voters in his district.
{mosads}”You know, people get elected by going back and talking to the constituents of how they vote on the floor, a reflection of within their own district,” he said at a press conference.
“I think when it comes to actions, I think the constituents will have the final say.”
McCarthy said he doesn’t believe impeachment is an issue that resonates with voters.
“If you watch, even for those who are on the other side of the aisle, as they campaign for their nomination for president they go to different states and it doesn’t come up,” he continued.
“What comes up are the concerns with infrastructure, the price of prescription drugs, the debt, those are the issues that Americans are concerned about, but this new socialist Democratic Party seems to have their own direction of where they believe to go.”
Amash tweeted Saturday that “Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report. 2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct. 3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances. 4. Few members of Congress have read the report.”
The comments sparked a flurry of pushback from Republicans, ranging from the far-right flank of the party to leadership.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a group Amash helped found, voted to condemn his remarks on Monday evening.
It also remains unclear whether the House Freedom Caucus’s PAC will continue to support Amash during the 2020 cycle.
“No political decisions have been made,” a source with knowledge told The Hill.
GOP Michigan state Rep. Jim Lower has already announced his intentions to launch a bid against Amash, with others expected to jump in the race.
Amash, who doubled down on his stance on Monday, has appeared to be largely unfazed by the backlash within his party. CBS News first reported spoke with a school group about impeachment on the steps of the Capitol Tuesday morning, telling the students: it’s “really dangerous for our country” when people don’t tell the truth.