Justin Amash isn’t a Republican anymore, and he just voted in favor of the Democrats’ impeachment investigation.
He’s still more conservative than President Trump.
Don’t tell that to the Amash haters, who are in full meltdown mode at the thought that any conservative (even a libertarian-leaning one) might be concerned enough by Trump’s dealings with Ukraine to entertain the idea of impeachment.
Trumpworld jumped on Amash a few months ago when he first came out in favor of impeachment. Trump called him “one of the dumbest & most disloyal men in Congress” and “A total loser!” Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. enthusiastically touted Amash’s primary challenger. And after this vote, it’s almost certain that the MAGA Right will attack the congressman once again as insufficiently loyal, a “Democrat,” and so on.
Sycophantic critics miss the point. Amash’s position comes from a place of principle. He’s not a fake conservative or RINO because he’s insufficiently “loyal” to the president. Conservatism is a set of ideals and principles, not loyalty to a particular party or politician. Besides, love him or hate him, Trump is far from being a true conservative, and he never really billed himself as one.
It’s worth considering exactly what Amash had to say on impeachment:
I agree with Amash to this extent: an impeachment inquiry is warranted at this point. But even if you don’t, it’s clear that he is acting from good-faith belief and doing what he thinks is right. Unlike the Democrats, he has not spent the last three years hoping and praying that some excuse arises to impeach Trump.
And the idea that Amash is some “fake conservative” because he’s insufficiently loyal to Team Red is completely unfounded. His voting record speaks for itself.
Amash has a 100% rating from the Right to Life Committee, a 99% from the conservative economic group Club for Growth, a 90% from Conservative Review’s scorecard, and a 95% from the Republican Liberty Caucus. That’s not exactly the resume of a lifetime RINO.
Throughout his entire career in Congress, Amash has relentlessly advocated for small government, free markets, and personal freedoms. He’s also been very good on issues where many other Republicans come up short, such as fighting for Americans’ Fourth Amendment privacy rights.
Amash has a consistent process for deciding his votes, and he explains his reasoning in each case with unrivaled transparency. As he has put it, “I follow a set of principles, I follow the Constitution. And that’s what I base my votes on. Limited government, economic freedom, and individual liberty.”
Whether you agree with Amash or not, this impeachment vote was no exception.
