Justin Amash Still Isn’t Ruling Out A 2020 Presidential Run
Michigan Congressman Justin Amash made an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, just days after he announced his departure from the Republican party. When host Jake Tapper asked Amash if he intended to run for president as an independent or a third-party candidate, such as Libertarian, Newsweek reports that Amash didn’t shoot the possibility down.
“I still wouldn’t rule anything like that out,” he said.”I believe I have to use my skills, my public influence, where it serves the country best, and I believe I have to defend the Constitution in whichever way works best. And if that means doing something else then I do that. But I feel confident about running in my district. I feel a close tie to my community. I care a lot about my community; I want to represent them in Congress.”
Although Tapper pressed Amash about a timeline for his decision to run for president, Amash said he couldn’t provide one because a run isn’t currently on his radar — he made it clear that he plans to defend his seat in Congress as an independent. As far as the risk of losing his seat on the House Oversight Committee, Amash believes he might be kicked off.
Despite the many roadblocks Amash sees ahead, he remains adamant that committees have lost the power they once had. Although these committees are traditionally the area of Congress where most new laws are created and verified before moving to the House floor, Amash claims that nowadays, the Speaker of the House determines what comes out of the committee and everything is run top-down.
“In today’s politics, the committees have almost no power. I want people at home to understand that.”
Good Morning! Today on #CNNSOTU with @JakeTapper: @JustinAmash, @AbdulElSayed, @MiaBLove, @jrpsaki, @ScottJenningsKY & @cbrennansports. Tune in on @CNN, @CNNi, @SIRIUSXM Ch. 116 & https://t.co/FhaqYPemhI! pic.twitter.com/spGL5ConAi
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) July 7, 2019
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Amash’s decision to leave the Republican party was praised by former Republican Congressman David Jolly, who left the GOP months ago. Although Jolly admits his reasons for leaving were not identical to Amash’s, he still praised the Michigan representative for departing the political organization, which he claims has “failed morally.”
In a recent interview, Jolly said that the Republican party has failed to protect the Constitution, and called the rise of President Donald Trump a political crisis. He also revealed that he left the GOP due to a loss of faith in Republican leadership, and said that he believes the Republican Party has been lost for a generation. Jolly added that he couldn’t, in good faith, join a party with the current Republican leaders and explain his choice to his daughter.
