Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images
- GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy defended voting that Donald Trump should be convicted in his second impeachment trial.
- Cassidy was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump, who was ultimately acquitted.
- Cassidy has faced a backlash for his stance from the GOP in his home state, Louisiana.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy has defended his decision to convict Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, as he faces a backlash from the local Republican Party for his decision.
In an op-ed for Baton Rouge newspaper The Advocate, Cassidy wrote that he “voted to convict former President Trump because he is guilty.”
“Rather than defending the Constitution, President Trump was actively subverting the peaceful transfer of power, which is a bedrock principle of the Constitution,” wrote Cassidy of Trump’s actions around the attack on January 6.
He continued: “I have no illusions that this is a popular decision. I made this decision because Americans should not be fed lies about ‘massive election fraud.’ Police should not be left to the mercy of a mob. Mobs should not be inflamed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.”
Cassidy’s vote to convict Trump came as a surprise to many. Cassidy indicated during the trial he would likely acquit the former president, who was impeached on charges of inciting insurrection.
Cassidy was one of seven GOP senators to find Trump guilty of inciting the January 6 insurrection. Even with their support, Trump was acquitted.
The 57 senators who voted to convict fell short of the two-thirds threshold in impeachment trials, which means that even with 43 votes, Trump was acquitted.
The Republican Party of Louisiana voted unanimously on Sunday to censure Cassidy for his vote.
—ABC News (@ABC) February 15, 2021
In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday, Cassidy said though that he believed that Trump's power over the GOP was fading.
"I think his force wanes. The Republican Party is more than just one person," Cassidy said.
"The Republican Party is about ideas. ... Now the American people want those ideas but they want a leader who is accountable and a leader who they can trust. I think our leadership will be different going forward but it will still be with those ideas."
Cassidy's defense came as a rift widened in the Republican Party between those who oppose the former president, and the millions of Republican voters and their congressional allies who have continued to back him.
Cassidy was re-elected to the Senate last November, meaning he has a six-year term to serve before he is up for re-election.
Dit artikel is oorspronkelijk verschenen op z24.nl