Lawmaker Tom Rice has criticized former President Trump for his efforts to influence voters in his GOP primary. Rice was one of only 10 Republicans in the House to vote on Trump’s resignation on Jan. 6. “For me, his big failure – his unforgivable failure – was when he started,” Rice told the NYT.
Republican Rep. Tom Rice, who was one of only 10 Republicans nominated by former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol uprising, has not backed down. In an interview with the New York Times, Rice – who is seeking the GOP nomination for a sixth term in his conservative congressional district in South Carolina – would not give in to pressure from the former president, who called him “RINO”. “Republican in the name alone” or stating that his career ended because of his consequent vote. Rice told the newspaper he continued to deny Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6. “For me, his great failure – his unforgivable failure – was when it started,” he said of the uprising. He continued: “He saw it happen. He enjoyed it. And he did nothing to stop it. I think he had a duty to try to stop it and he failed in that duty.” Rice – who was a key player in the Trump-backed Republican tax review in 2017 – went on to say that a 2024 presidential election by the former president would not be beneficial to the party. “It’s a thing of the past,” he said of Trump. “I hope he is not a candidate again. And I think if he comes down again, he will hurt the Republican Party.” He added: “We desperately need someone who will unite people. And he is not that guy. “ Rice voiced frustration with Trump’s efforts to oust GOP voters in the qualifying race. “Bring the circus,” said the MP. “You know, some people are afraid of clowns. “I’m not afraid of clowns.” In an interview with ABC News earlier this week, Rice said his vote to oust Trump’s “incitement to insurgency” was in line with the Constitution. The story goes on “Defending the Constitution is the foundation of the Republican platform. Defend the Constitution and that is what I did,” he said. “That was the Conservative vote. There is no question in my mind.” He stressed: “I did it then, I would do it again tomorrow”. Read the original article in Business Insider