Pennsylvania GOP may meet to discuss Toomey impeachment vote

Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is planning a meeting to potentially discuss censuring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey over his vote to convict Donald Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial, county party officials said Monday.

County party chairs said the state GOP chairman, Lawrence Tabas, emailed them shortly after Saturday’s impeachment vote to tell them that a meeting is being planned to discuss the Senate’s impeachment vote. Tabas did not return messages Monday.

Toomey is one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump of “incitement of insurrection.”

A resolution to censure Toomey came up for discussion at the state party’s leadership committee meeting on Feb. 6, weeks after Toomey had said Trump committed “impeachable offenses” in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. They decided against bringing it to a vote by the full state committee after speaking with Toomey about it, county party chairs said.

Several county parties already voted to censure Toomey even before Saturday’s vote. In Washington County, GOP chairman Dave Ball said party members felt betrayed by Toomey.

The York County Republican Party voted to censure Toomey after he voted to convict Trump. One county party, in Cambria County, is planning to vote to censure Toomey during its regular Tuesday meeting, said Jackie Kulback, the county party chair.

The second-term Toomey is not running for re-election in 2022.

Ultimately, Trump was acquitted of the charge because the 57-43 vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for conviction.