Louisiana GOP rebukes Cassidy over vote saying Trump trial constitutional

The Louisiana Republican Party on Tuesday issued a rebuke of Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) over his vote declaring that former President Trump’s impeachment trial is constitutional.

Cassidy joined five other Republican senators and every Democrat in the upper chamber in rejecting an attempt to derail the proceedings. Cassidy had previously supported an effort by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would have declared the trial unconstitutional and was the only lawmaker to vote for that measure and flip Tuesday to say the trial can proceed. Cassidy also later said Trump’s defense team was “disorganized.”

“The Republican Party of Louisiana is profoundly disappointed by Senator Bill Cassidy’s vote on the constitutionality of the impeachment trial now underway against former President, now private citizen, Donald J. Trump,” the party said in a statement.

“We feel that an impeachment trial of a private citizen is not only an unconstitutional act, but also an attack on the very foundation of American democracy, which will have far reaching and unforeseen consequences for our republic,” it added. 

The statement comes as the first day of Trump’s impeachment trial winds down.

The House, led by every Democrat and 10 Republicans, impeached Trump last month over his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill that resulted in the deaths of several people.

Republicans have overwhelmingly touted the idea that a trial is unconstitutional since Trump is now a private citizen, though that rationale has received pushback from several legal scholars, and Democrats, who control both the House and the Senate, have rejected the argument.

The Louisiana GOP heaped praise onto Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who voted to halt the trial, saying he remained “steadfast in his opposition to the fake impeachment trial” and “made the right decision.”

Cassidy is the latest lawmaker to be reprimanded by a state Republican Party over a vote or remark that is at odds with Trump. Among them are Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) who was censured by the Wyoming Republican Party for her vote to impeach Trump, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who was censured by a county Republican Party in his district.

Cassidy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.