Feb 13, 2021 - Politics & Policy

State GOPs move to punish Republicans who voted to convict Trump

Rebecca Falconer

Combination images of Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and Richard Burr. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images/Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images

Some state GOPs have swiftly rebuked Republican senators who voted to find former President Trump guilty of inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Driving the news: After the Senate failed to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to convict Trump, the Republican Party of Louisiana announced Saturday evening that its executive committee had voted "unanimously" to censure Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) for voting to convict Trump.

Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) was also condemned by the his state GOP for voting finding Trump guilty on charges of high crimes and misdemeanors in the 57-43 vote in favor of a conviction.

"North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing," North Carolina Republican Party Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement.

What they're saying: Cassidy said "our Constitution and country is more important than any one person," while Burr said "Trump violated his oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

The big picture: The 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump have also faced backlash from constituents in their home states, and from members of their own party in Congress — notably Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House, who was censured by the Wyoming Republican Party.

Cheney survived a ballot to oust her as chair of the GOP conference following her impeachment vote.

Go deeper: The 7 Republicans who voted to convict Trump

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State GOPs move to punish Republicans who voted to convict Trump

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