Congressman Francis Rooney said on Thursday that he would not rule out impeaching President Donald Trump. Following Mick Mulvaney’s acknowledgement that there was a quid pro quo directing the hold on Ukrainian military funds, Rooney told CNN, “Whatever might have been gray and unclear before is certainly clear right now — that the actions were related to getting someone in the Ukraine to do these things. As you put on there, Senator Murkowski said it perfectly: We’re not to use political power and prestige for political gain.”

The statement was newsworthy because Rooney is a current Republican member of Congress, whose Florida district Trump carried by 22 points in 2016, and a word from the President could imperil the Congressman’s 2020 primary bid. The latter fact, of course, is why Trump has so few critics in the GOP Congressional caucus.

But now the political dissonance has disappeared: Rooney has announced that he will not seek reelection. With this decision, his future is no longer hostage to a vengeful president. Rooney is free to speak out.

While this may not be a tale of political courage, the Congressman’s decision to express his concerns and his decision to leave office are significant. Both are signs, however faint, of principled life within the GOP. And there’s hardly a surfeit of that nowadays.