When Tom Rice voted "yes" on the impeachment of Donald Trump over the
President's role in inciting the riot that led to the storming of the US
Capitol, most close congressional watchers assumed he had made a mistake.
After all, there was little to indicate that the reliably conservative
South Carolina Republican would join nine other colleagues in breaking
with the President (and the party) to back impeaching Trump. Unlike
Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyoming) and Adam Kinzinger (Illinois), Rice hadn't
been an outspoken critic of Trump. And unlike Reps. John Katko (New
York) and David Valadao (California), Rice doesn't represent a swing
district.
"Compared to the often raucous members of the state's congressional
delegation, Rice has been more low-profile and focused on his
legislative work," wrote the Almanac of American Politics of Rice, who
has represented eastern South Carolina's 7th district since 2012.
But Rice hadn't made a mistake or accidentally pressed the wrong button.
His vote to impeach was real -- and without question, the most
surprising of the 10 Republicans who bucked the President.
Here's how Rice explained his vote:
"Once the violence began, when the Capitol was under siege, when the
Capitol Police were being beaten and killed, and when the Vice President
and the Congress were being locked down, the President was watching and
tweeted about the Vice President's lack of courage.
"For hours while the riot continued, the President communicated only on
Twitter and offered only weak requests for restraint ...
"... It has been a week since so many were injured, the United States
Capitol was ransacked, and six people were killed, including two police
officers. Yet, the President has not addressed the nation to ask for
calm. He has not visited the injured and grieving. He has not offered
condolences. Yesterday in a press briefing at the border, he said his
comments were 'perfectly appropriate.'"
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/tom-rice-south-carolina-impeachment