No sooner did Republican Congressman Justin Amash (R-MI) call for Donald Trump’s impeachment than a primary challenger was declared – and he got at least two friendly platforms on Fox News to promote his candidacy.
Challenger Jim Lower, currently a Michigan state representative, got a somewhat warmer welcome last night from Trumper host Laura Ingraham. She complained that Amash had been “very condescending” when he told a reporter that Lower's challenge is “not serious” and that he’s confident of prevailing.
Lower had a soundbite ready: that Amash has more in common with Rep. Rashida Tlaib than Republican primary voters (I guess he figured likening Amash to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would have been a bridge too far).
“He’s been dogged by his connections with China, his financial interest in China,” Ingraham said accusingly. She complained, “Do we have to sell America out to the Red Chinese?” When was the last time you heard Chinese referred to as "red Chinese?"
“I think that’s probably going to be another thing that we’re going to look into,” Ingraham said menacingly. She also called Amash “terrible on most issues.”
Gee, if only Amash was in bed with (white) Russia, Ingraham probably would have been cheering him as a great American.
“I think you’re serious so we wish you all the best,” Ingraham told Lower.
Today, on America’s Newsroom, cohost Sandra Smith was noticeably chillier.
We heard the Tlaib comparison again. Lower also reiterated a swipe at the Mueller investigation from the night before: “Bob Mueller would have loved to say that the president should be impeached but even he didn’t come to that conclusion in his own report. So this is completely ridiculous.”
To her credit, Smith pushed back, saying that was Lower’s (unproven) opinion.
Lower also claimed he had already been planning to challenge Amash but moved up his announcement date after the impeachment talk. He said he has raised “thousands and thousands” of dollars since then: “People support the president, they support President Trump.”
FACT CHECK: Trump’s approval rating has never been above 50%.
Smith did not correct the record.
But she did not quite sound like a fan. She closed by saying, “Well, we got your message … we’ll see where this all goes.”
Watch a candidate we’re sure to be seeing more of on Fox News below, from the May 20, 2019 The Ingraham Angle and the May 21, 2019 America’s Newsroom.