Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) could be censured over his vote to convict former President Donald Trump.
According to the Associated Press, the North Carolina Republican Party is planning to vote on whether to censure Burr on Monday.
Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party Michael Whatley released a statement on Saturday condemning Burr’s vote.
“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.
Burr released a statement of his own on Saturday defending his vote.
“I have listened to the arguments presented by both sides and considered the facts. The facts are clear. The President promoted unfounded conspiracy theories to cast doubt on the integrity of a free and fair election because he did not like the results,” Burr wrote.
He added, “As Congress met to certify the election results, the President directed his supporters to go to the Capitol to disrupt the lawful proceedings required by the Constitution. When the crowd became violent, the President used his office to first inflame the situation instead of immediately calling for an end to the assault.”
Burr called the evidence against Trump “compelling.” He explained he did not make the decision “lightly,” but he believed it was “necessary.”
“By what he did and by what he did not do, President Trump violated his oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States,” Burr continued.
He is not the first senator to receive backlash for his vote to convict Trump. The Louisiana Republican Party announced its executive board voted unanimously to censure Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), as IJR reported.
Despite facing backlash, Cassidy stood firm in his decision because he believes “Trump is guilty,” according to a column he wrote in the Louisiana newspaper The Advocate on Sunday.
