GOP Rep. Tom Rice "regrets" voting against certifying presidential election

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) told Politico on Wednesday that he "regrets" not certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Why it matters: Rice appears to be the first Republican to publicly say he regrets his decision. He was later one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach then-President Trump.

• The South Carolina Republican Party censured Rice for his impeachment vote, saying voting to impeach an outgoing president was a "political kick."

Between the lines: It's unlikely that other GOP lawmakers will follow Rice, Politico writes.

• Trump still has a firm grasp on the Republican Party, many of whose members have parroted his baseless claims of a stolen election.

What he's saying: Rice told Politico that he realized he should have voted to certify the election during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He didn't do so because he had publicly announced he would object to the vote.

• "In retrospect, I should have voted to certify,” Rice said. “Because President Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol.”
• “In the wee hours of that disgraceful night, while waiting for the Capitol of our great country to be secured, I knew I should vote to certify."
• “There was a coward in that equation," Rice added. "But it wasn’t Mike Pence."