South Carolina played its part in the failed effort to overturn the 2020 presidential results and give Republican Donald Trump a second term; the demonstrations that led to the riots at the United States Capitol on January 6; and presidential impeachment in the wake of deadly protests.
Keeping up with the characters is not always easy. There were a few.
Here is a quick look at those with ties to the state of Palmetto who were involved in the political crisis that resumes on February 9, when the impeachment trial begins in the Senate.
Lindsey Graham: The senior senator from South Carolina and Trump’s ally protested the president’s role in the riot, saying he “needs to understand that his actions were the problem, not the solution”. He then helped Trump find an impeachment lawyer, when other lawyers and big firms did not want to get involved in the controversial case.
Lindsey Graham opposes Trump’s expulsion ‘for now’ after a day of violence in Washington
Butch Bowers: The Columbia attorney known for representing some of the state’s most high profile Republican politicians has agreed to lead Trump’s impeachment team at Graham’s request. Bowers added three more Columbia lawyers – Deborah Barbier, Greg Harris and Johnny Gasser. The team lasted about a week before separating from the president. The reports say they differ on Trump’s desire to use his fraud allegations in the 2020 elections to defend himself.
Nancy Mace: The newest member of Congress in South Carolina did not vote to overturn the election results like his colleagues in the Palmetto State Republican Party in the House, which caught his national attention. After the riot, Mace, who worked for Trump’s 2016 campaign, continued to raise concerns. “All the achievements that Republicans have made in the past four years, including President Trump, have been destroyed in just a few hours.”
Alan Wilson: The Republican state attorney general (and son of Congressman Joe Wilson) has filed a lawsuit in Texas to overturn the results of the presidential elections in other states. The US Supreme Court dismissed the claim.
Adam Piper: Alan Wilson’s former aide directed the Association of Republican Attorneys General when the group sent an automatic call encouraging people to attend the January 6 Capitol rally. Piper resigned after the call went public. Wilson, who sits on RAGA’s leadership board and helped Piper get that job, denied knowing anything about the so-called robotics.
Caroline Wren: Former fundraiser for Graham, Wilson and Governor Henry McMaster, Wren is well known in South Carolina political circles. According to several reports, she helped organize the Ellipse rally near the White House, where Trump urged the crowd marching to the Capitol on January 6. Maggie Mulvaney, niece of former SC congressman and White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, was also listed as an organizer of the “Save America Rally” on a federal license, the Associated Press reported.
Andrew Hatley: The only South Carolinian accused of invading the Capitol. An informant provided the agency with a selfie Hatley allegedly took in front of the statue of former Vice President John C. Calhoun, a South Carolina pro-slavery who defended state rights before the Civil War, said an FBI complaint .
Tom Rice: South Carolina congressman who was one of 10 Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment because of the riot. “I supported this president at all times for four years. I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But, this total failure is unforgivable.”
SC GOP: The executive committee of the Republican Party of SC voted to censor Rice for his impeachment vote. Rice sided with “principled leftists by voting for the president’s impeachment, betraying Republican voters who enthusiastically supported Rice,” the censorship said. Rice, who is already facing major opponents, responded that Republican Party leaders were “shrinking from Donald Trump” in their refusal to blame the president for his role in the mutiny.
Jim Clyburn: The South Carolina congressman is the third member of the House ranking and was the first Democrat to suggest that Trump’s impeachment hearing should take place after he left office to avoid becoming an issue that consumed the first 100 days of President Joe Biden at the White House.