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The South Carolina Republican Party on Saturday voted to censor one of its own members, Representative Tom Rice, for his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump earlier this month.
The token move offers a formal critique of Rice’s decision to impeach Trump for the second time over his role in inciting a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
The state GOP said Rice’s impeachment vote “betrayed” her party’s voters by aligning itself with “unprincipled leftists.”
In the first, and most significant, vote of the new session, Mr. Rice sided with (Democratic House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and unprincipled leftists in voting to impeach the president, betraying voters Republicans who have enthusiastically backed Mr. Rice over the past two years. election cycles, “the censorship resolution said, according to Post and courier.
Rice, a Republican from Myrtle Beach entering his fifth term in Congress, has also received direct reactions from voters in his district. On his first phone to town hall after voting to impeach Trump, a voter in his district called the decision “inexcusable.”
“Next time around, I don’t think you’ll get elected,” the principal said, according to CBS News. “I’m not happy with you. And I certainly won’t vote for you again. So if you can find a way to redeem yourself, I’m all ears.”
Drew McKissick, South Carolina GOP chairman, said Saturday’s censure resolution was meant to show the party “totally disagrees” with Rice’s decision.
“Congressman Rice’s vote unfortunately played directly into the Democrats’ game, and the people in his district, and ultimately our State Executive Committee, wanted him to know that they totally disagreed with his decision. “, he said in a statement.
The measure was ultimately approved by a voice vote, with 43 members in favor of the resolution, zero against and two abstentions, Post and courier reported.
In response to the vote, Rice defended her position to impeach Trump and criticized the GOP for “curling up” in front of the former president.
“I think the South Carolina Republican Party has forgotten their own creed that says, ‘I’ll curl up before any man saves my God.’ It seems to me they’re curling up in front of Donald Trump,” Rice said Post and courier.
“If the president who did what Donald Trump did that day and sent a mob to block Congress and the result was an attack on the legislative branch of the United States government, that is a flagrant violation of the constitution, “he continued. “It’s absolutely a felony or a high misdemeanor. I don’t care if the president doing this is a Republican or a Democrat, I’m voting for impeachment.”
In an interview with ABC 15 published Jan. 26, Rice added that “it would have been so easy” to rally with fellow Republicans and vote against Trump’s impeachment, but instead chose to “defend the constitution”.
“I do not take an oath to Donald Trump. I do not take an oath to the Republican Party. I take an oath to defend our Constitution and that is what I will do,” he said.
Sean Rayford / Getty
While Saturday’s censorship resolution carries no further punishment, the move symbolizes a constant rift between Trump’s loyalists and those who oppose him.
The last time the South Carolina GOP voted to censor an elected official, over 10 years ago, they approved one for then-governor Mark Sanford after admitting to visiting Argentina for an extramarital affair, Post and courier reported.
But South Carolina isn’t the only state supporting reprimand officials who split from Trump.
Last week, the Arizona GOP voted in favor of similar resolutions for former US Senator Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain, widow of the late US Senator John McCain, for criticizing Trump.
Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, the third House Republican, has also faced a large setback in her state over her vote to impeach Trump, and Massachusetts Republicans are seeking to censor Governor Charlie Baker for his support for the dismissal of the former president.
Rice’s decision to vote for impeachment ultimately came as a shock to Republicans across the state, due to his history of supporting Trump.
“It’s the kind of thing you would expect from Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leadership, but it was really disappointing to see Republicans approving it, participating in it in any form, form or fashion, and I think let this play into the Democrats’ game, ”McKissick said, according to Post and courier.
Newsweek contacted Rice’s office for further comment. The South Carolina GOP has not commented beyond its official statement.
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