Senator John Thune criticizes Republican activists and party leaders for engaging in “canceling culture” by condemning GOP senators who convicted former President Donald Trump of inciting an uprising.
In his first interview since voting for Trump’s acquittal, Senate Republican No. 2 on Thursday defended fellow Republicans who joined Democrats over the “conscience vote” and warned against excluding dissenting votes in the party. .
“There was a strong case,” Thune said of the Democrats’ accusation. ‘People could come to different conclusions. If we are going to criticize the media and leftists over the cancellation of culture, we can not do it ourselves. ”
Thune’s remarks were his first statement of his vote in Trump’s trial and the assessment of the turbulent GOP policy left behind by the former president. Thune, who will be re-elected in deep-conservative South Dakota next year, is among several Republicans struggling to regain control of a party dominated by Trump and his most ardent supporters over the years.
The senator rarely criticized Trump while in office. But he called the former president’s actions “inexcusable” after the election, accusing him of undermining the peaceful transfer of power.
Still, last week Thune voted in favor of most Republican senators and GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell to vote in favor anyway. Thune and others argued that Trump could not be charged because he was already out of office. Thune said after his vote that he was concerned about the idea of punishing a private citizen with the sole intention of qualifying him for the future office. ‘Democrats fell ten votes short of the 67 culprits.
Since then, Trump has tipped McConnell and repeated the unfounded claim that he won the election. The comments sparked a feud that is likely to unfold in GOP primary elections between Trump-backed candidates and those backed by the establishment wing.
Thune suggested he take steps to help candidates “who do not talk about conspiracies and things like that.” He praised Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who was convicted by the Wyoming GOP for voting to condemn Trump, for doing an “exceptional job in most cases” and said he is ready to jump into the primary battles, like the one she’s sure faces.
“At grassroots level, there are a lot of people who want to see Trump-like candidates,” he said. “But I think we’re going to look for candidates who are eligible.”
Thune himself was hit by Trump last year after saying that attempts by some GOP members in the US House to reject the result of the election college would drop in the Senate ‘like a shot dog’. Trump called Thune a “RINO,” meaning Republican In Only Name, and “Mitch’s boy,” referring to McConnell. The attacks have inspired some Trump loyalists in South Dakota to scramble for a primary challenge for the state’s senior senator, whose candidacy is undisputed in previous elections.
The senator on Thursday tried to downplay the attacks and compare them to “food fights within the family” that harmed Republicans’ goals.
“You have to face the music, and at some point it has to be over and you have to move on,” he said, adding, “I think it’s just important to tell people the truth. The most important responsibility of any leader is to define reality. ”