In a twist of events, “Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) on Friday became the first House Republican to voice support for an impeachment inquiry into President Trump.”

This is surprising because Republicans are known for what appears to be their blind support for the President. So when Democrats launched a formal impeachment inquiry over alleged campaign finance fraud committed by the President, no one expected that Republicans would budge. In fact, many suspected that they would all band up to protect their champion in what was increasingly becoming the creation of a strongman cult around Trump.

Rep. Mark Amodei’s support for the impeachment therefore stands as a rare show of political independence and bipartisanship since Trump came to office in January 2017.

In an article in The Hill, Tal Axelrod states that,

In a conference call with reporters, Amodei made clear he wouldn’t vote to impeach Trump, but he also expressed concern over the president’s dealings with Ukraine, adding that the House should “put it through the process and see what happens.”

“I’m a big fan of oversight, so let’s let the committees get to work and see where it goes,” he said, according to audio of the call released by The Nevada Independent.

“Using government agencies to, if it’s proven, to put your finger on the scale of an election, I don’t think that’s right,” Amodei added. “If it turns out that it’s something along those lines, then there’s a problem.”

He later issued a statement after The Independent’s piece was published, emphasizing he was not in favor of impeaching Trump but supportive of the investigative approach.

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