Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) called on Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) to leave the House Republican Conference after he announced Thursday he is leaving the GOP.
“Amash left the @freedomcaucus now he’s leaving the @GOP. The @HouseGOP never left @justinamash – we simply ran out of space for his ego. However, we should make sure he leaves Conference and his committee,” Walker, who is the Republican Conference vice chair, tweeted.
Amash left the @freedomcaucus now he’s leaving the @GOP. The @HouseGOP never left @justinamash – we simply ran out of space for his ego. However, we should make sure he leaves Conference and his committee.
— Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) July 4, 2019
Walker is the first member of GOP House leadership to call on Amash to leave the conference. However, the Michigan libertarian has become a pariah within the party since his May announcement that he thought the House should begin impeachment proceedings against President Trumpafter the Mueller report’s release.
Amash left the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which he co-founded, and has not ruled out running against Trump in the 2020 presidential race.
In a July 4 op-ed, he declared his “independence” from the GOP, saying that he’s become “disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it” and that “the two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions.”
“Today, I am declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party,” Amash wrote. “No matter your circumstance, I’m asking you to join me in rejecting the partisan loyalties and rhetoric that divide and dehumanize us. I’m asking you to believe that we can do better than this two-party system — and to work toward it. If we continue to take America for granted, we will lose it.”
Trump slammed Amash over the defection, saying the news marked “Great news for the Republican Party” and that Amash is a “total loser!”
Great news for the Republican Party as one of the dumbest & most disloyal men in Congress is “quitting” the Party. No Collusion, No Obstruction! Knew he couldn’t get the nomination to run again in the Great State of Michigan. Already being challenged for his seat. A total loser!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2019
Amash’s opposition to the White House has earned him a primary challenger for his House seat, with a June poll showing him trailing his little-known challenger Jim Lowe by 16 points.