North Carolina GOP censures Sen. Burr for Trump impeachment vote. Burr calls that 'truly sad' for the GOP.


The North Carolina Republican Party voted unanimously Monday night to censure Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) for his vote to convict former President Donald Trump of inciting a insurrection at his impeachment trial Saturday. The state GOP's emergency meeting, set up Sunday, was held over Zoom.
"We felt it was important for the party to make a statement that we disagree with the vote," said North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley. Whaley and other state Republicans argued that after Burr voted for a motion calling Trump's trial unconstitutional, he shouldn't have then voted to convict. Most of Burr's Senate GOP colleagues leaned on their process argument that the Senate had no jurisdiction to try a former president, but Burr said once the Senate had dismissed that argument, he had to convict. "The evidence is compelling that President Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection against a coequal branch of government and that the charge rises to the level of high Crimes and Misdemeanors," he said after his vote.
On Monday night, Burr called the state GOP's decision to censure him a "truly sad day" for North Carolina Republicans. "My party's leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party and the founders of our great nation," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Burr, 65, has already announced he is not seeking a fourth term in the Senate after his term ends in 2022, and the public rebuke of a censure doesn't carry any real punishment related to his day job, The Charlotte Observer notes. "What message does this send at a time when the party is hemorrhaging voters?" said Doug Heye, a former Burr staffer and Republican National Committee spokesman.
Pointing to the nearly 6,000 North Carolinians who switched party affiliation from Republican after the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol, Heye said censuring Burr "isn't going to win back any of those voters" and just "sends a sign that party leadership is still showing fealty to the exiled king." At least three more of the Republicans who voted to convict Trump — Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) — also face censure votes back home.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clash
speed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel strikes Gaza, breaking ceasefire
Speed Read 326 Palestinians were killed in the first major attack since Netanyahu's government signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Houthis vow retaliation amid US airstrikes
Speed Read Trump promises the US will use 'overwhelming lethal force' against the Houthis until they stop attacking Red Sea ships
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pakistan train hostage standoff ends in bloodshed
Speed Read Pakistan's military stormed a train hijacked by separatist militants, killing 33 attackers and rescuing hundreds of hostages
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published