Vote on Toomey censure by Chester County GOP on hold

Chester County Republican Committee members postponed a meeting set for Tuesday to consider a resolution censuring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey for his vote during impeachment hearings for former President Donald Trump in order to get guidance from their state counterparts.

State GOP committee members expect to meet Wednesday night to decide whether to censure Toomey, a two-term senator with a solid conservative reputation, amid a GOP backlash over his vote to convict Trump during the impeachment trial earlier this month for the role he played in inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, members said.

Trump was acquitted of the charge after a trial in the Senate.

The state party chairman, Lawrence Tabas, emailed committee members Monday to schedule the meeting. He emailed them on Feb. 13, moments after the Senate vote, telling them to expect a meeting.

A censure vote is a symbolic gesture that may have no real effect on Toomey since he isn’t seeking reelection next year.

Toomey was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump of “incitement of insurrection.” Ultimately, Trump was acquitted of the charge because the 57-43 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.

Members of the Chester County GOP Committee had drafted a proposed censure resolution the week after Toomey’s vote, and had submitted it for consideration at the party’s annual nominating convention last week. The document accused Toomey of having harmed the party at its local and state roots, and having “devalued” the influence the state would have in national politics.

The vote by Toomey was “unconstitutional, dangerous in its precedent, divisive, and lacking in due process and regard for the rights of the accused,” the resolution, authored in part by South Coventry committee member Mark Woolfrey,

stated.

“Senator Toomey has violated the trust of his voters, failed to fulfill and represent a very large majority of motivated Pennsylvania voters, and neglected his duty to represent the party and the will of the people who elected him to represent them,” the proposed resolution reads.

Thomas Donohue, GOP executive vice chairman, said the local leadership had decided to cancel the meeting Chairman Dr. Gordon Eck had announced at the Feb. 16 nominating convention until the state committee took action.

There are 13 current members of the state committee from Chester County, including former county Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh, an ardent and early supporter of Trump; former state Rep. Becky Corbin, former county Controller Norman McQueen, and county committee Assistant Secretary Trish Milanese, among others, according to the committee’s website.