As a rule, Republicans don't usually discuss impeaching their own president. But these are not usual times.
One of the most vulnerable Republicans in Congress, Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, is so intent on getting credit for being the first GOP lawmaker to discuss impeaching President Donald Trump that his office called up Mother Jones magazine and got them add a correction to a recent story.
"Following publication, a spokeswoman for Curbelo contacted Mother Jones to point out that 'Congressman Curbelo was actually the first Republican to mention impeachment,'" reads the correction.
RELATED: Here are the lawmakers who've mentioned impeachment
The article originally stated that Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a libertarian who often breaks with his party, was the first. Neither congressman has advocated impeaching Trump, but both have noted publicly it is a possible outcome of Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Curbelo could be a bellwether for further defections in the House GOP ranks. His Miami-area congressional district — which was recently profiled by NBC News — last year voted for Hillary Clinton by a larger margin than the districts of any of his GOP colleagues on the ballot in 2018, making Curbelo a top target for Democrats.
The sophomore lawmaker had a tough reelection fight last year, and made a point of declaring publicly that he would not vote for Trump.
Curbelo has lately been more visible than normal in local and national media to discuss the controversies engulfing the Trump White House. On Tuesday, he was the first lawmaker of either party on MSNBC to respond to the appointment of a special prosecutor.
