Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, speaks of the heroism veteran Roy Long displayed while in the European theatre in World War II during a ceremony in October 2015.
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler has been censured by the Clark County Republican Party (CCRP) due to her vote for the impeachment of former president Donald Trump.
During a meeting of Republican precinct committee officers Feb. 23, the party voted close to unanimously to censure Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, withdrawing financial support for the congresswoman unless the party can be convinced otherwise during a future meeting. The resolution censuring Herrera Beutler took issue with the process of impeachment, stating that there were “no formal hearings held, no quantifiable evidence presented, no witnesses sworn to give testimony, and no right to cross-examine the accusers.”
The resolution stated that “numerous Republicans in Clark County, the Third Congressional District, Washington state, and the United States” had indicated they would no longer actively participate in the Republican Party, including precinct committee officer roles and financial contributions to campaigns, as long as Herrera Beutler is still in office.
With the passing of the resolution, the party “will withhold any future political funding and support of all resources” for Herrera Beutler unless the CCRP decides otherwise following an “in-person explanation” from the congresswoman during the party’s May meeting.
Herrera Beutler was one of 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeachment, which was brought forth following the storming of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6 by supporters of the president.
“The President of the United States incited a riot aiming to halt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next,” Herrera Beutler wrote in a social media post explaining her decision, noting five had died during the Capitol unrest. “People everywhere watched in disbelief as the center of American democracy was assaulted.”
“The President's offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have,” Herrera Beutler wrote.
The decision to censure Herrera Beutler was proposed by precinct committee officer Carolyn Crain. She said she had volunteered on Herrera Beutler’s first campaign for Congress in 2010, “and I’ve stood by her all these years” up until her impeachment vote.
“She violated my trust, and it broke my heart,” Crain said. “I will not be dragged off this street without a Congressperson who will make sure that this deplorable, nondomestic terrorist has somebody in her corner.”
“In this resolution, we will be giving her more opportunity to address her accusers than she gave our president,” Crain said.
No one spoke against the censure resolution, with those at the meeting laughing after CCRP Chair Joel Mattila asked if there were any “nays.” Only a handful of individuals were against the resolution by voice vote on the resolution.
The resolution also resolves that the CCRP will work with Republican Party chapters in other Third Congressional District counties, including Cowlitz, Lewis and south Thurston counties, among others, to vet and select a “conservative Republican” candidate to run in the 2022 race. Two such potential candidates were present at the party meeting, Joe Kent and Heidi St. John.
The party had previously denounced the “frivolous impeachment of President Trump based on false pretenses and without due process, solely to further political agendas” in a declaration made in January praising Trump’s accomplishments in office. It stated that Herrera Beutler’s vote “directly violates our values of standing for truth and justice,” adding her vote pushed “fear-based narratives” that were not representative of the Clark County Republican Party.
The Clark County Republican Women have also made a statement that was more direct than what the overall county GOP leadership provided at the time.
“If you cast this vote to impeach, you will never receive our support or votes again at any time in the future,” the statement read. “Additionally, we will do everything in our power as the largest Republican Women's organization in Washington state to recruit and elect a conservative candidate who will represent our values.”
