Former Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol, said he won't vote for Trump but also won't endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Donald Trump is a proven liar and a fraud and thief and a sexual predator. Everyone now knows that," Rice told The Hill. "But the thing that absolutely disqualifies him from office is his disregard for the Constitution … The idea that we would elect someone who has proven he will crumple it up and throw it in the trash for his own advantage is unimaginable to me."
Rice said as a conservative Republican, Harris was an "anathema" to him.
"There's no way in hell I can endorse her," Rice told The Hill.
Rice, who lost a primary to a Trump-backed challenger in 2022, said he will vote for someone else for president.
Rice said he's disappointed that his fellow Republicans did not do more to hold Trump accountable after Jan. 6, singling out Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
"In the days following January 6, he made a cold political decision that it was more important to try and get more Republicans in the senate than it was to do their duty and hold Trump accountable," Rice said to the Hill. "One word from him and it would have been done. We would not be in this precarious position."
Of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after Jan. 6, three said they are voting for Harris: Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Fred Upton of Michigan, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
Former Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., who voted to impeach Trump, said he would vote for Trump over President Joe Biden when he ran for Senate. Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., has not said who he will vote for, while Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., said he will do all he can to ensure Trump is as successful as possible.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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