Freshman Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) did not vote to impeach President Donald Trump over his rhetoric at a rally before a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
However, she signaled that she would have supported a censure resolution to hold Trump accountable.
During an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday, Mace told host Chuck Todd that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blocked efforts by lawmakers to discuss a censure resolution rather than impeachment.
Additionally, she said Pelosi blocked efforts to examine whether Congress could vote to prevent Trump from running for office again without impeachment.
“With censure, that was one of the things that I believe we should have had up for debate,” Mace said.
She continued, “It’s complex, constitutionally, but there were folks in both chambers and in both parties having the ability to look at that as an option, but we couldn’t even bring it up for debate or look at that as an option because we were really trying hard to figure out, ‘How do we, how do we hold a president accountable that put all of our lives at risk?'”
Mace described the riot at the Capitol as “a traumatic event for many members of Congress.”
“We feared for our lives, many of us that day, and our staff. And, as you know, my children were supposed to be up there. And if they had been there, like they were supposed to be, I would have been devastated. And so, we do need to find a way to hold the president accountable,” she added.
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When asked if she questioned Congressional Republican leaders’ decision making after lawmakers decided to object to electoral votes after the riot, Mace said, “I will tell you for me, as a new member, it was enormously disappointing. I literally had to walk through a crime scene where that young woman was shot and killed to get into the chamber to vote that night to certify what was supposed to be a ceremonial vote to certify the Electoral College.”
“And yet, my colleagues continued to object, and they knew this was a failing motion,” she added.
Mace’s comments come days after the House held a historic vote to impeach Trump for “incitement of insurrection” — the first time a president has been impeached twice.