Freshman Democrats push for Amash as impeachment manager

[demmiblue]

Source: WaPo

A private campaign is underway to draft Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) as an impeachment manager in the Senate trial of President Trump, a bid to diversify House Democrats’ appeal to voters with a rare conservative voice.

A group of 30 freshman Democrats, led by Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), has asked House leaders to consider the libertarian, who left the Republican Party earlier this year, for the small group tasked with arguing its case for removing Trump in the upper chamber, according to several Democratic officials.

The thinking, according to these people, is that Amash would reach conservative voters in a way Democrats can’t, potentially bolstering their case to the public. He also would provide Democrats cover from GOP accusations that they’re pursuing a partisan impeachment; Amash is one of the most conservative members of the House and a vocal Trump critic.

“To the extent that this can be bipartisan, it should, and I think including Representative Amash amongst the impeachment managers is a smart move both for the country, for the substance and for the optics,” Phillips said, adding that Amash brings an array of qualifications: He’s an attorney, a constitutionalist and “the first and only member of the Republican conference, when he was a Republican, to show courage,” Phillips added.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/freshman-democrats-push-for-amash-as-impeachment-manager/2019/12/15/759e5280-1f54-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html

[blm]

1. Great idea.

[Voltaire2]

2. no no no no no

If there is one thing that the Republican Party has established beyond any doubt it is that not one of their elected officials is honorable or trustworthy. Even Amash. Any of them. Even the recently dead ones.

Just fork that noise.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. A qualified yes - as long as Schiff is in charge of the prosecution

And can shut down Amash if he gets out of line.

[Pachamama]

4. I think a team of several that included Amash and Schiff would be great

I also think Val Dominga would be great on that team....

If Pelosi wants a good group with diversity and representation, that would be a great start...

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. No, why do we want that? Amash quit the Repub party ...

... because it was too liberal. He is a right-wing loony.

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. The obvious counter is that impeachment is not meant to be an ideological test

It is designed to pass judgement on serious presidential misdeeds, not unacceptable views. Impeachment is not designed to weigh in on warring policy positions. It potentially adds weight to the impeachment argument if people with substantially different ideological view points agree regarding disqualifying presidential behavior.

[doc03]

6. He is a Republican, I wouldn't trust him as far as

I could throw him.

[gibraltar72]

7. I've thought all along

they should be making some use of him. He is well spoken and pretty thoughtful.

[Kid Berwyn]

8. The ONLY puke to read the Mueller Report...

...would be great.

Amash would be in a unique position to SHAME the Guardians of Oligarchs & Putin.

[milestogo]

9. Remember how Obama tried so hard to be bipartisan?

Like picking Comey for FBI Director?

Look how well that turned out.

[brooklynite]

11. Meanwhile, DCCC will be trying to bump him off in November...

Not entirely clear what he gets out of this.