WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Twp., says if the allegations surrounding the James Comey memos are true, they are grounds for impeachment of President Trump.
Amash responded "yes" to a reporter in Washington on Wednesday when asked if the allegations in the memos could be grounds for impeaching the president if found to be true, making him the first Republican lawmaker to publicly entertain the idea, The Hill reports.
Amash, who has been a consistently vocal critic of Trump, also told reporters he trusts the ousted FBI director more than the president. The congressman's office declined to provide any further comment to FOX 17 following the off-the-cuff remark.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Shortly after the report came to light Tuesday evening, Amash called the allegations "incredibly serious," adding that Comey "needs to testify in open session ASAP," he tweeted.
According to the Times report, Trump made the request during a February meeting in the Oval Office. The newspaper cited a memo Comey wrote shortly after the conversation.
Flynn resigned the day before the Feb. 14 meeting, after it was revealed he apparently had lied to his about the nature of his contacts with Russia’s ambassador.
The Times said Trump told Comey, “I hope you can let this go.”
The White House denies the report, which came one day after the Washington Post first reported that Trump disclosed classified information to Russian diplomats.
Amash is one of just two House Republicans who've signed on to cosponsor a Democratic bill that would establish an independent commission to investigate Russia's suspected meddling in the election.
Earlier this month, Amash called the termination letter Trump sent to Comey firing him “bizarre.”
Comey was fired by the president on May 9.
