Pennsylvania GOP stops short of censuring Sen. Pat Toomey
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania’s Republican Party narrowly voted against censuring Sen. Pat Toomey after he supported the vote to convict former President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial last month.
Instead, members agreed to “rebuke” the retiring senator for siding with Democrats and declaring that Trump violated his oath of office when he “summoned thousands to Washington, D.C. and inflamed their passions by repeating disproven allegations about widespread fraud.”
Six other Republican senators also voted to convict Trump for his alleged role in inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“As a result of President Trump’s actions, for the first time in American history, the transfer of presidential power was not peaceful,” Toomey said on Feb. 13 after the conclusion of the Senate trial. “A lawless attempt to retain power by a president was one of the founders’ greatest fears motivating the inclusion of the impeachment authorities in the U.S. Constitution.”
Multiple media reports confirm that state GOP committee members voted 128-124 against censure on Monday. Neither the party itself, nor its chairman, Lawrence Tabas, have yet made a public statement about the results.
The statement to rebuke was coupled with censures of several prominent Democrats, including Gov. Tom Wolf; Attorney General Josh Shapiro; and former Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, according to a report from WHYY.
The rebuke and censures serve as symbolic expressions and will not have any impact on either Toomey or the Democratic lawmakers.
Toomey will retire from the U.S. Senate in 2022 when his second term expires.
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