President Trump plans political punishment for the 10 House Republicans who voted against him for last week’s Capitol riot, according to a new report.
Trump called on advisers to inform him on the 10th after Wednesday’s afternoon vote, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Trump “wanted to know who the lawmakers were and whether he had already done something for them” and “asked who could run against them when facing reelection in two years,” reported the Journal.
Republican dissidents joined with all Democrats to accuse Trump on a single charge of allegedly inciting an insurrection that interrupted the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
House No. 3 Republic, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, was among the ten and is resisting calls by some members of the House for Freedom to step down. She and Trump have been in conflict for a long time in foreign policy and he resigned during a pre-riot speech near the White House that served as the basis for his impeachment.
The other Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment were the representatives. Tom Rice of South Carolina, John Katko of New York, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Peter Meijer of Michigan, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Dan Newhouse of Washington, Fred Upton of Michigan, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington and David Valadao of California.
Trump is expected to remain a powerful figure among Republicans when he leaves office on January 20 and could help bring down a handful of occupiers. Many other Republicans, including minority leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, publicly blamed Trump’s actions, but called for less severe censorship.
Deputy Nancy Mace (R-SC) called for a censure motion that would ban Trump from taking office again, but she did not support the impeachment. Others questioned the text. Congressman Chip Roy (R-Texas) said Trump “deserves universal condemnation for clearly what was, in my opinion, objectionable conduct”, but that he did not agree with the wording drawn up by the Democrats.
Much about Trump’s Senate impeachment trial is uncertain – including whether it will start this month. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Declined to say on Friday at a news conference whether she will forward the impeachment resolution to the Senate immediately or wait months to avoid distraction from Biden’s initial legislative agenda.
Trump has not yet selected lawyers to represent him at the Senate trial. It is also unclear whether Supreme Court chief judge John Roberts will preside over the trial, because Trump will be the first former president to face an impeachment trial. There is also a legal theory that he cannot be tried because he will no longer be in office and the purpose of impeachment is removal.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Who later this month will surrender his title to New York’s Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, said on Wednesday that he had not decided how to vote on the impeachment. But with 17 Republican votes needed to condemn and Trump’s political retribution approaching, it will remain difficult to achieve.