GOP Rep. Justin Amash leaves far-right Freedom Caucus he helped found

On Monday evening, Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., resigned from the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a group of Republican lawmakers that he helped co-found in 2015.

“I have the highest regard for them, and they’re my close friends. I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group,” Amash told CNN's Haley Byrd, who first reported the departure on Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, Poppy Nelson, an Amash spokesperson, confirmed the resignation to USA TODAY.

More: GOP congressman: 'President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct'

Amash has been an outspoken libertarian voice during his four terms in Congress. His departure from the Freedom Caucus had been coming for some time, though. Politico reported on May 20 that the caucus voted to formally condemn him after he said President Donald Trump committed "impeachable conduct."

Here are five things to know about the self-proclaimed "#1 defender of liberty and the Constitution."

He helped found the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Amash was part of the wave of tea party Republican lawmakers swept into power in the 2010 election. He then joined nine other freshman Republicans to co-found the House Freedom Caucus. The Caucus became notorious for helping push out then-House Speaker John Boehner in October 2015.

The group doesn't make its membership list public, so it is unclear exactly who is in it. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., says he serves as its current chairman.