NRCC finance chair: Republicans who voted for Trump impeachment will not be penalized

Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), finance chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), on Thursday affirmed that the House lawmakers who voted to impeach former President Trump would still receive funding for their respective reelection campaigns.

During a phone interview with Politico, LaHood said that gaining control of the House in 2022 was more important than punishing Republican lawmakers by depriving their campaigns of cash.

Ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump for a second time for his role in inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, marking the most bipartisan impeachment vote in U.S. history.

Their votes to impeach Trump have caused division within the GOP at both the state and national levels, with some state Republican committees passing resolutions to censure Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) among others. 

In addition, Cheney’s fellow House GOP member, Matt Gaetz (Fla.), has called for Cheney to be removed from power.

Kinzinger, LaHood’s fellow Illinoian, has acknowledged that his vote may have ended his political career, but has so far stood by his decision, launching a PAC to challenge the GOP’s embrace of “Trumpism.”

When asked if the 10 GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach would still receive funding for their campaigns, LaHood responded, “Absolutely.”

“If we are going to become the majority party — which I think we will — you’ve got to accept that we’re a big tent,” LaHood said. “I have tried to take that philosophy and that attitude of that’s how we’ll become the majority party.”

“I look at our freshman class that just came in, and that diversity is what we have to build off,” LaHood added.

Republicans in several states picked up congressional seats, weakening the Democrats’ grip on the U.S. House. Democrats also did not take back the Senate by sweeping margins in 2020, though they won the majority after former Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Leoffler lost their runoff elections to Democrats. Currently, Vice President Harris serves as the tie-breaking vote in a 50-50 Senate. 

LaHood continued, “The fact that we didn’t lose one incumbent [in 2020] is pretty incredible, and then to pick up all the seats that we did, so our job at the NRCC is to protect our incumbents, and the money we help raise will go to that.”

In a statement to The Hill, NRCC spokesman Michael McAdams said, “The NRCC’s stance has not changed. We support our members in general elections and do not get involved in primaries. We look forward to building on last cycle’s successes and retaking the majority.”

The NRCC rolled out a new leadership team on Thursday with Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.) serving as chair of the body. Reps. Ken Calvert (Calif.), Jodey Arrington (Texas) and Buddy Carter (Ga.) will serve as deputy chairs.

“House Republicans stand united in our efforts to retake the House majority and hold Democrats accountable for their job-killing policies,” Emmer said. “We are looking forward to building on the success we saw in 2020 and finishing the job we started.”