Freshman Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday ripped fellow GOP Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) over his criticism of President Trump while appearing on Hill.TV.
Amash made headlines over the weekend when he became the first Republican to publicly accuse the president of engaging in “impeachable conduct.”
In a series of tweets, the libertarian lawmaker said Trump’s actions surrounding special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe potentially constituted obstruction of justice and warranted impeachment proceedings.
“Most of us think this is some kind of press stunt,” Green said, adding that House Republicans are feeling “very, very frustrated” by the lawmaker and his remarks.
Green also happens to sit alongside Amash on the House Freedom Caucus, which has been long considered one of the most conservative blocs of Republicans in Congress.
The Tennessee Republican said that while it’s “healthy” to have dissent within the party, he accused Amash of giving Democrats and the media a “talking point.”
“He clearly is creating more media on this and basically emphasizing stuff that isn’t even there and it’s very clear that the Democrats agenda is to investigate the president,” Green told Hill.TV.
A spokesperson for Amash didn’t immediately return The Hill’s request for comment.
Green’s remarks come after the House Freedom Caucus on Monday voted to formally condemn Amash’s call for impeachment during a weekly caucus meeting.
“Based on who was there and our board meeting was probably over 30 members, every single member disagrees and strongly with the position Justin took over the week,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told reporters.
Amash, meanwhile, doesn’t appear to be backing down from his comments, despite facing backlash from the party and the caucus he helped found.
“People who say there were no underlying crimes and therefore the president could not have intended to illegally obstruct the investigation — and therefore cannot be impeached — are resting their argument on several falsehoods,” Amash tweeted earlier that day.
Trump has maintained that Mueller’s investigation found “no collusion and no obstruction,” and promptly hit back at Amash following his remarks.
“Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents hands!” the president tweeted in part.
— Tess Bonn
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