Pelosi Should Have Named Amash an Impeachment Manager

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named the seven impeachment managers who will make the case against President Trump at the Senate impeachment hearings beginning next week.


Unfortunately, former Republican and now Independent Rep. Justin Amash was not among them. Pelosi named House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff as the lead manager along with House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler as his second in command. Joining them are Democratic Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Jason Crow, Zoe Lofgren, Val Demings and Sylvia Garcia.


This isn't to say that someone less nationally known like Crow, Demings or Garcia couldn't make an impact on the hearings, but Trump and his defenders can scream partisan witch hunt from now until the end of time.


If Pelosi had named Amash one of the impeachment managers it would have neutralized those claims. Of course, Trump and his apologists have no love lost for Amash, but no one can describe him as a left-wing liberal. In having Amash as a house manager, Pelosi could claim someone more conservative than many of Trump's cohorts in Congress. It would also acknowledge his role as the first non-Democratic Congressman to call for President Trump's impeachment, a call he made long before many Democrats were on board.


It is well worth noting that more than two dozen freshman Democrats clamored for Pelosi to include Amash as an impeachment manager. But Pelosi ignored their pleas. Of course, including Amash won't improve the chance of Trump being impeached. The minds of Senate Republicans are already made up before the facts have been presented. The same could not be said of a segment of the voting public critical of Trump but also critical of impeachment. Amash's presence as an impeachment manager could have moved public opinion on the matter. So even if Trump isn't impeached, the presence of a former Republican like Amash might have weakened his position.


There was no downside for Pelosi had she named Amash an impeachment manager. She would have won plaudits for independence while rankling Amash's former Republican colleagues in one fell swoop. Instead it is yet another opportunity missed.