2016 Republican presidential candidate John Kasich (R) sparked speculation when he suggested a “prominent Congressman is gonna come out” and endorse presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Speaking with CNN host Wolf Blitzer over the weekend, Kasich also said he believes there will be a “significant” number of Republicans who will toss their support behind Biden.
News: @JohnKasich says on CNN there's a prominent congressman that is going to come out for @JoeBiden tomorrow, in reference to a question from Wolf Blitzer about working with Republicans.
— Hanna Trudo (@HCTrudo) August 16, 2020
Declined to say who it was.
After Kasich’s remarks, it drew speculation of who the Congressmember is. While Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) is a Libertarian, The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel pondered if it is Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) or Amash.
However, Amash did not stay silent as he slapped down that speculation.
“It’s not me,” Amash responded on Twitter.
He added, “To be extra clear, I do not support Donald Trump.”
Amash has been critical of the president, and left the Republican Party in 2019.
The lawmaker continued to say that he will be voting for Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen.
“She cares about tackling systemic problems in government,” he added.
“Trump is just a symptom. Biden won’t address the causes.”
To be extra clear, I do not support Donald Trump. I’m voting for @Jorgensen4POTUS. She cares about tackling systemic problems in government. Trump is just a symptom. Biden won’t address the causes.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) August 17, 2020
However, CNN’s Jamie Gangel posted on Twitter that she spoke with Kasich and clarified that it is a former member of Congress.
When it was clarified, Amash responded again to Weigel, saying, “People’s replies pretty well illustrate what’s horribly wrong with politics. They want you to be principled when it benefits them, and they demand you abandon principles when it doesn’t. And then they disparage you.”
https://twitter.com/jamiegangel/status/1295182461861847040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1295182461861847040%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Fpolitics%2Fjustin-amash-smacks-down-speculation-that-hes-endorsing-biden-its-not-me-come-on%2F
No worries. Now you’ve helped create a story about partisanship. People’s replies pretty well illustrate what’s horribly wrong with politics. They want you to be principled when it benefits them, and they demand you abandon principles when it doesn’t. And then they disparage you.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) August 17, 2020
A four-day virtual Democratic National Convention will kick off on Monday, where Kasich will also headline. He has consistently spoken out about the president. The Republican National Convention will be held on August 24-27.