South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice is the first Republican to say he regrets voting against the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential win.
Rice has a unique political identity – he is the only member of Congress to object to the certification of the election and to vote for Donald Trump’s second impeachment.
“In retrospect I should have voted to certify,” Rice told POLITICO. “Because President Trump was responsible for the attack on the Capitol.”
“In the wee hours of that disgraceful night, while waiting for the Capitol of our great country to be secured, I knew I should vote to certify. But because I had made a public announcement of my intent to object, I did not want to go back on my word. So yeah, I regret my vote to object,” he explained.
Rice skewered Trump’s behavior on January 6th, saying he watched “with pride” from the safety of the White House and “did nothing to stop” rioters who “sacked and defaced” the Capitol and attacked police officers.
“There was a coward in that equation,” Rice said. “But it wasn’t Mike Pence.”
MSNBC provides context:
The conservative GOP lawmaker’s position is still not quite as reality-based as it should be — he also told Politico he still believes there were “real issues with the election,” reality notwithstanding — but he’s nevertheless showing the kind of contrition we hardly ever see from any Republicans on Capitol Hill.
It’s also a reminder of why Rice is facing a GOP primary challenger as part of his 2022 re-election campaign.
147 congressional Republicans — eight senators and 139 House members — voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump has targeted the 10 GOP House members who voted for his second impeachment. Two of those Republican outliers – Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio – have announced their retirements. Wyoming’s Rep. Liz Cheney was stripped of her position in Republican leadership.