The South Carolina GOP censured Rep. Tom Rice for his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.
The state party announced the passage of its censure resolution on Saturday in a statement, with Chairman Drew McKissick sharing the party’s “disappointment” with Rice’s vote.
“Trying to impeach a president, with a week left in his term, is never legitimate and is nothing more than a political kick on the way out the door,” said McKissick. “Congressman Rice’s vote unfortunately played right into the Democrats’ game, and the people in his district, and ultimately our State Executive Committee, wanted him to know they wholeheartedly disagree with his decision.”
Today the SCGOP Executive Committee voted to formally censure Congressman Rice for his impeachment vote. See below for SCGOP Chairman @DrewMcKissick‘s full statement: pic.twitter.com/lNzDW80ljl
— South Carolina Republican Party (@SCGOP) January 30, 2021
Rice was one of 10 Republican House members to vote to impeach Trump for his role in the events preceding the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot. The article of impeachment charging the former president with inciting an insurrection is heading to the Senate, where 67 senators would need to vote affirmatively to obtain a conviction.
Rep. Liz Cheney also faced calls from fellow caucus members to be stripped of her leadership position. Freshman Rep. Peter Meijer is grappling with an early primary challenge from a pro-Trump opponent. Like Rice, Fred Upton, a centrist Republican representative from Michigan, has been dealt a censure from a local branch of the Republican Party for his support for impeachment.
The pro-Trump resentment has extended to officials beyond Congress. The Arizona GOP voted to censure Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake, and Cindy McCain, the widow of the late Sen. John McCain, for either refusing to engage with Trump’s election fraud challenges or supporting the candidacy of his opponent, President Biden.
The censure resolution was criticized by Glenn Hamer, a former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, who denounced the notion of purity tests.
“Foolish. It’s foolish,” said Hamer. “Parties that want to be successful bring people together and expand the number of people who are attracted to the party. What’s going on with the leadership at the AZ GOP is the exact opposite. It’s self-destructive.”
A representative for Rice did not immediately reply to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment.
