Burr voted to convict Trump. Now NC Republicans plan to censure their senator.
North Carolina Republicans are moving to censure U.S. Sen. Richard Burr for his guilty vote Saturday in the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
Burr was one of seven Republicans to vote to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. The vote was 57-43, but it fell short of the 67-vote threshold needed for conviction.
Members of the NC Republican Party’s central committee will hold an emergency meeting Monday night to vote on censuring Burr, the party’s spokesman, Tim Wigginton, confirmed Sunday evening.
“I am going to vote to censure Sen. Richard Burr on behalf of the grassroots across the state and because I do truly feel that his vote was improper,” said Kyshia Lineberger, the state party’s national committeewoman from Charlotte, in a telephone interview. “I’m really disheartened by his choice and his vote.”
The meeting had not yet begun by press time Monday.
Lineberger said that Burr “betrayed the trust of his constituents.”
The outcome of Monday’s vote is not really in doubt. The meeting will be held Monday night via video conference. Members of the committee were notified Sunday of the meeting.
A censure would not carry any formal penalty, but rather would be a statement of disapproval from the committee.
The party’s state central committee consists of about 30 high-ranking officials, including chairmen from each of the state’s 13 congressional districts and Michael Whatley, the chairman of the NC GOP.
Whatley quickly denounced Burr’s vote Saturday.
“North Carolina Republicans sent Senator Burr to the United States Senate to uphold the Constitution and his vote today to convict in a trial that he declared unconstitutional is shocking and disappointing,” Whatley said in a statement.
“I would be surprised if we didn’t vote to censure Burr,” said Charles Hellwig, Republicans’ 2nd district vice chairman, on Sunday night. Hellwig is not a voting member of the committee.
The Carolina Journal first reported the censure vote Sunday.
Burr explains impeachment vote
Burr, 65, is in his third term in the U.S. Senate after serving five terms in the U.S. House. He is not running for reelection in 2022.
Burr twice voted that the trial was not constitutional, but said once the Senate agreed that it was, his duty was to be an impartial juror.
“When this process started, I believed that it was unconstitutional to impeach a president who was no longer in office. I still believe that to be the case. However, the Senate is an institution based on precedent, and given that the majority in the Senate voted to proceed with this trial, the question of constitutionality is now established precedent,” Burr said in a statement explaining his vote.
Party officials have pointed to that as a “flip-flop,” in Lineberger’s words.
Burr was sharply critical of Trump for his role in the deadly attack on Jan. 6. Members of Congress were in session to certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory when the rioters breached the Capitol and forced Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to evacuate for safety reasons.
A police officer was among those who died as a result of the day’s events, and two more have died by suicide in the immediate aftermath.
“As I said on January 6th, the President bears responsibility for these tragic events. The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Therefore, I have voted to convict,” Burr said in his statement.
“I do not make this decision lightly, but I believe it is necessary.”
Burr is not alone in facing rebukes from their state parties. Other Republicans who voted for impeachment have faced similar votes in their home states, including Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
State legislators group votes to ‘condemn’
North Carolina Republicans, including an elected member of Congress, quickly denounced Burr after the impeachment vote. U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop of Charlotte said he supported “the immediate censure” of Burr in a tweet.
The North Carolina House Freedom Caucus, consisting of 18 state House Republicans, voted Saturday night to “officially condemn Sen. Richard Burr for his vote.”
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, who is running for Burr’s seat in 2022, sent a fundraising appeal off of Burr’s vote.
“Wrong vote, Sen. Burr. I am running to replace Richard Burr because North Carolina needs a true conservative champion as their next senator,” Walker wrote in a tweet.
Sen. Thom Tillis, who won reelection in 2020 running as an ally of Trump’s, voted not guilty in the trial.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Megaphone or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published February 14, 2021 at 9:07 PM with the headline "Burr voted to convict Trump. Now NC Republicans plan to censure their senator.."
