His comments followed reports in the New York Times about a Comey memo detailing a conversation he had with Trump<\/b>
\nAmash was responding to a question from a reporter for The Hill newspaper as he as left a House Republican conference meeting.
Chaffetz wants Comey to testify next week
His comments followed reports in the New York Times about a Comey memo detailing a February conversation he had with Trump in which Trump purportedly told Comey, \u201cI hope you can let this go, \u201d referring to the probe of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. The White House has said the memo isn\u2019 t accurate.
A growing number of Republicans are now calling for Comey to testify before Congress, but few GOP members of Congress have commented publicly about the prospect of impeachment.
Asked whether the Comey memo would merit impeachment, if its content are true, Amash replied: \u201cYes, \u201d adding \u201cbut everybody gets a fair trial in this country.\u201d
Another reporter asked if Amash trusted Comey\u2019s word over Trump\u2019s, to which Amash replied: \u201cI think it\u2019s pretty clear I have more confidence in Director Comey.\u201d
Amash, a frequent Trump critic who represents the Grand Rapids area, tweeted late Tuesday that he wants Comey to testify in an open session \u201cASAP, \u201d calling the allegations in his memo \u201cincredibly serious.\u201d
Amash might get a chance to hear from Comey on May 24, when the former FBI director has been invited to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Amash sits on the committee, chaired by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who has asked the FBI to turn over all memos, notes and recordings detailing communications between Comey and Trump by May 24.
Similarly, leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday requested the FBI provide all memos relating to Comey\u2019s interactions with his superiors in both the Trump and Obama administrations, and asked White House Counsel Donald McGahn to provide records of interactions with Comey, including any audio recordings. They also want the records by May 24.
Amash is the only Republican in Michigan\u2019s delegation who has called for an independent investigation of Russian meddling in the U. S. election, although Rep. Fred Upton, a St. Joseph Republican, has said he\u2019s open to an independent probe or the appointment of a special prosecutor.
Upton said Wednesday the \u201ccountry deserves answers\u201d on whether Trump attempted to influence or impede the FBI\u2019s investigation of Michael Flynn, urging Comey to publicly testify.
\u201cI fully support the ongoing efforts to get all of the facts surrounding the firing of FBI Director Comey, \u201d Upton said in a statement. \u201cWe must continue to follow the facts wherever they lead so that we can get to the bottom of this.\u201d
Many Republicans, such as Rep. Paul Mitchell of Dryden, have said they want to let the congressional investigations into Russia handle the matter.
\u201cThis inquiry by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and the ongoing investigations by other bipartisan committees in Congress, must and will continue, \u201d Mitchell said.
Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, said Congress must focus on finding the facts.
\u201cIf a Comey memo does indeed exist, the FBI and Justice Department need to turn the document over to Congress. Should that not happen, I support issuing a congressional subpoena to obtain the memo, \u201d Huizenga said in a statement. \u201cI hope Mr. Comey will accept the invitation to testify on Capitol Hill next week.\u201d
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Wednesday aboard Air Force One that Trump says the Times story is \u201cnot an accurate description of how the event occurred.\u201d
\u201cThe president is confident in the events that he has maintained, and he wants the truth in these investigations to get to the bottom of the situation, \u201d Spicer said, according to a pool report. \u201cThere are two investigations going on in the House and Senate, and he wants to get to the bottom of this.\u201d
Rep. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, this week complained about the \u201cinaction\u201d of Republicans on his committee.
In a letter late Tuesday, the Detroit Democrat and Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Oversight Democrat, called for a joint investigation into whether Trump and his officials are engaged in an \u201congoing conspiracy to obstruct\u201d the criminal, counterintelligence, and oversight probes by the FBI, Department of Justice and by Congress into contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials during the presidential campaign.
\u201cGiven the gravity of the events that have occurred over the past several weeks, there is simply no reasonable question that the Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee should already be conducting a robust investigation of these issues that includes public hearings, document requests, and interviews and depositions, \u201d they wrote.
\u201cIt is unacceptable to continue ignoring these scandals.\u201d
Amash and Michigan\u2019s five Democrats in the House have co-sponsored legislation calling for a nonpartisan, independent commission to investigate Russian interference in the election.
House Republicans blocked a procedural vote called by Democrats on Wednesday afternoon that would have forced a vote on the legislation.
Separately, House Democrats on Wednesday circulated a discharge petition \u2013 a legislative maneuver that would skip the committee process and allow a simple majority of the House to force a vote on the bill on the House floor.
The petition needs 218 signatures to force a vote, so a number of Republicans would need to sign on. The petition had 111 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the House Clerk\u2019s office. Amash was not among the signatories, although at least one Republican, North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones, joined the petition.
From Michigan, Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, and Conyers both signed the discharge petition.
\u201cPresident Trump interfering with an ongoing FBI investigation is an abuse of power, \u201d Kildee said in a statement.
\u201cRepublicans can no longer stay silent. It is time to put country before party. This is about protecting our democracy.\u201d
The last successful discharge petition in the House was brought forth in 2015 regarding the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.
mburke@detroitnews.com
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