U.S. Rep. Tom Rice (R-Ga.) talks to constituents during a congressional town hall meeting in Society Hill, S.C., Aug. 23, 2017.
The South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP) voted Saturday (Jan. 30) to formally censure Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC). Rice, a member of South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, joined Democrats earlier in January in voting to impeach then-President Trump (R-Texas).
Rice was one of 10 Republicans who voted with Democrats to second-guess Trump on Jan. 13, when the House voted 232 to 197 to impeach him (H. Res. 24).
They allege that Trump’s alleged “incitement of insurrection” (incitement of insurrection) led to a break-in at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Under current procedures, the House of Representatives must send the consolidated impeachment complaint to the Senate for a conviction trial, which will be voted on by senators before a conviction can be handed down. The Senate will begin impeachment hearings on Feb. 8.
Drew McKissick, who chairs the South Carolina Republican Party, noted in a statement that grassroots voices in one county in his district generally condemned Rice after the impeachment vote in the House. The resolution was quickly passed in various committees before being sent to the South Carolina Republican Executive Committee, whose members then voted to pass the resolution.
We made our disappointment clear the night of the impeachment vote,” McKissick said. Attempting to impeach a president with a week left in his term is never a legitimate act and is nothing more than a political kick in the pants (for Trump) on his way out.”
“Unfortunately, Congressman Rice’s vote played right into the hands of the Democrats, the people in his district (7th District) and ultimately our state executive committee want him to know that they completely disagree with his decision.”
Republican House members who voted for impeachment at the Time faced harsh criticism and have party insiders planning to run against them for congressional seats in 2022. In South Carolina, several Republicans have said they are seeking to run against Rice, with one state lawmaker saying he has formed a surveying committee or is running against Rice in the 7th District.
Rice had told The Associated Press a day after the impeachment vote that while a yes vote could cost him re-election, it was more important to him to impeach Trump, who he believes did nothing about the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.
“I can’t imagine another president in my lifetime who wouldn’t have tried to do something there, who wouldn’t have tried to say, ‘Hey, this needs to stop, you need to go Home.'” Rice said in an interview.
The media, lawmakers, former officials and other critics have pointed the finger at Trump for the Jan. 6 incident. At the day’s event, Trump addressed a Washington, D.C., crowd, where he reiterated allegations of election irregularities and fraud, as well as his frustration with the media and several lawmakers.
Protesters demonstrated at the Capitol just before Trump finished his rally speech. Trump also took to Twitter that afternoon to urge his supporters to remain peaceful, and he eventually posted a video urging his supporters to “go home now,” though the video was deleted by Twitter shortly after it was uploaded.
In the video message, Trump said, “You have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order and great law enforcement.”
Similarly, Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, faces a challenge from Sen. Richard Bouchard of Wyoming. Bouchard noted that in the 2020 election, Trump won about 70 percent of the vote in the state, making Cheney’s pro-impeachment move “out of step” with Wyoming.
Other Republican congressmen facing challengers include California’s David Valadao, Washington’s Dan Newhouse, and Ohio’s Anthony Gonzalez.
For the upcoming impeachment trial, lawmakers and legal scholars from both parties are debating whether the impeachment trial can proceed due to the lack of precedent in the matter and the fact that Trump has already left office. In addition, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts (John Roberts) has decided not to preside over the proceedings.
Recent Comments