GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — “Have you read any interesting tweets lately?”
That’s how Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) opened his town hall at Grand Rapids Christian High School Tuesday night. This meeting was held just 10 days after the five-term representative made national headlines for saying President Donald Trump engaged in “impeachable conduct.”
The crowd laughed in response to his opener, with many of them being supporters of the congressman.
Amash represents the 3rd district, which covers Grand Rapids and a large chunk of West Michigan. He started the town hall by giving an overview of his conclusions on the Mueller report.
“I felt it was important to come back to the district and talk about the things that I have discussed on Twitter and elsewhere,” he said.
The congressman recently said he read the 448-page report by special counsel Robert Mueller, which discussed if the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. Amash has tweeted about 70 times in 10 days, giving his conclusions on the report, which he said appalled him.
“Robert Mueller very clearly identifies and analyzes a number of instances—several instances—of obstruction of justice,” Amash said, explaining that he doesn’t think a sitting president should be indicted. “He really left it to Congress on these issues.”
At that point, Amash brought up the topic which put him in the headlines: impeachment.
“[Impeachment] is a finding that someone has violated the public trust,” he said. “I think it’s really important that we do our job as Congress that we not allow misconduct to go undeterred.”
The congressman has raised the issue of impeachment, however he has stopped just short of actually calling for impeachment proceedings against Trump. But he is the only Republican in Congress who has said the president’s actions were grounds for impeachment.
Only hours before the town hall started, Amash unleashed more criticism on Twitter. This time, he tweeted about 25 times saying Attorney General William Barr "misled" Congress and the public on the Mueller report.
QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE
After speaking to the crowd for about 10 minutes about the Mueller report, Amash opened up the floor to questions. Hundreds of people attended the event, and both Republicans and Democrats were in the crowd.
Amash fielded questions from the audience for nearly two hours. Of the over two dozen questions and comments brought, only a couple were critical.
Several people called Amash courageous, and the first man to compliment the congressman said “First, I want to salute your courage.” The room burst into applause, which evolved into a standing ovation.
After the first question, several people did not touch on the Mueller report. But, it came back to that when a woman asked, “I’m wondering what the next steps would be to ask for an impeachment inquiry?”
Amash responded with, “I do think it’s appropriate for the speaker [of the House] to proceed with an impeachment inquiry, proceed with hearings and other things.” However, he said, he thinks Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, is nervous about maintaining a political majority if she calls for impeachment.
“But I don’t think that’s what we should do under our Constitution. We have a responsibility to uphold the law to prevent government abuse.”
Regarding impeachment, Amash was also asked if it was going to be worth the time to start impeachment proceedings against Trump with the 2020 election looming.
"My biggest concern is that impeachment may never be used in any circumstances," he said. "That is a greater risk than the risk that it will be used too often."
While the forum started out relatively calm, it grew heated when Amash called on a woman in a Make America Great Again hat, a feature he publicly noted.
“Let’s be respectful,” he said before the woman started speaking.
In between shouts from the crowd, the woman spoke for over three minutes prior to asking her question.
“My question is: How come you’ve become a Democrat when we voted for you as a Republican? Because you just drank the same Kool-aid as all the Democrats.”
Amash let the woman hold the microphone as he pointed to his voting record on conservative fiscal spending. “I haven’t changed. I am a principled, Constitutional conservative who has stayed consistent regardless of whether we have President Obama or President Trump in office.”
The congressman then asked the woman to specifically refute the points he has made on the Mueller report. The two engaged in a back-and-forth for several minutes. It escalated when the woman said, “You can’t have obstruction of justice when there is no crime committed.”
Amash quickly interjected, saying “That’s not true.” This is a point he belabored on Twitter after the president made the same claim.
When Amash was asked again why he doesn’t run as an independent, he said the system in Michigan makes it hard to run outside of the major two parties. He pointed to the issue of straight-ticket voting, which he believes is the “biggest hurdle” for independents.
AMASH AND HIS CHALLENGERS
The incumbent congressmen is facing two Republican challengers in the 2020 primary and one Democrat in the general election for the 3rd district seat in Congress.
When asked if he thinks his recent controversial statements will hurt him in the election, he said “The answer is no, I am not concerned about it.”
During the question-and-answer period, the microphone was given to one man that Amash recognized.
“Alright, give your full disclosure,” he said.
“I am running against Justin,” explained Doug Booth, the Democrat running against him. Booth questioned Amash’s stance on healthcare. But before the event, Booth had some strong words for the congressman saying his tweets are “toothless.”
“He has yet to call for any action,” said Booth. “He’s just speaking words without anything behind it. I’m hoping he is going to actually call for action on that, whether that be impeachment or inquiries around the Mueller report.”
The 3rd district has been held by a Democrat since 1993, but Booth believes it is "flippable."
"The demographics have changed," he said.
With Amash making headlines as of late, it has raised the question if he is going to pursue a run for the White House as an independent.
One member of the audience asked him that, and he answered the same way he has for months: “I don’t rule things out.”
Amash is no stranger to town halls. And while this one received significant attention because of the congressman's recent tweets, the night was still about Amash connecting with his constituents.
It grew contentious at times, with one woman saying she no longer supports Amash after years of voting for him. And the event also showcased the support for the congressman. But by-and-large, it was a town hall between voters and their elected official.
Questions were asked about immigration, vaccinations, infrastructure, criminal justice, marijuana and climate change.
Grand Rapids resident Bobbie Cameron attended the town hall because she wanted more answers from her congressman on his recent tweets.
"We want to just hear and observe and gather information. Because that's how you make a decision," she said.
Similarly, Steve Molenhouse said he spent the evening at the auditorium to hear what Amash had to say.
"He has an independent streak. He kind of calls it like he sees it; he doesn't always toe the Republican line," he said. "I'm glad he votes his conscience...but it's for better or worse sometimes."
People started trickling out around 6:30 p.m. when the town hall was scheduled to end. After Amash answered questions for two hours, the night wrapped up. Members of the audience were still straining the ask the congressman questions.
The last town halls Amash held were in March in Grand Rapids and Calhoun County.
WATCH THE ENTIRE TOWN HALL:
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