Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) on Tuesday responded to President Trump shortly after House Democrats formally launched an impeachment inquiry against him, telling Trump that “it’s not about the transcript of a call.”
After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the launch of an impeachment inquiry, Trump tweeted his dismay, writing, “They never even saw the transcript of the call. A total Witch Hunt.”
{mosads}Amash, a frequent and outspoken Trump critic who left the GOP on July 4, quickly fired back.
“Don’t let President Trump or Republican officials distract you with a straw man,” Amash tweeted. “It’s about his continuing abuse of the office of the presidency.”
The latest back-and-forth between Trump and one of his staunchest conservative critics comes amid mounting scrutiny over reports of the president’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump reportedly pressured him to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden over allegations of corruption.
The allegations prompted a flood of House Democrats to back opening an impeachment inquiry into Trump.
Trump said Tuesday he had authorized a transcript of the call with Zelensky to be released. He also said he would release the whistleblower’s complaint that started the ordeal to Congress.
Amash previously called for impeaching Trump on the grounds that the president obstructed justice in his attempts to impede former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election interference in 2016.
Amash was the first and only Republican lawmaker to call for impeaching Trump, prompting a feud with Trump and Amash’s eventual exit from the party.