NH Primary Source: After impeachment, NHDP chair calls out âcomplicitâ Granite State GOP leaders
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Updated: 4:37 AM EST Jan 14, 2021
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Updated: 4:37 AM EST Jan 14, 2021
New Hampshire Primary Source gives you breaking and behind-the-scenes political news by John DiStaso, the most experienced political writer in the state and a recipient of a New Hampshire Press Association Lifetime Achievement Award. To sign up for WMUR's weekly New Hampshire Primary Source and political email newsletter, which will be delivered to your inbox on Thursday at 6 a.m., click here.>> Download the FREE WMUR appCOMPLICIT CHRIS? Moments after the impeachment vote, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley issued a statement trying to tie current and former state elected Republican leaders to President Donald Trump. He charged that from Gov. Chris Sununu on down, most gave him a pass. Sununu on Monday said that Trumpâs ârhetoric and actions contributed to the insurrection.â But he stopped short of calling for the presidentâs impeachment or removal from office, saying it was a matter for Congress to decide. (Update:) The governor reiterated his position on Thursday afternoon.Buckley said that longtime Trump critics former Sen. Gordon Humphrey, who is no longer a Republican and has backed Democrats in recent years, and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass have called for Trumpâs removal. But he charged, âNew Hampshire Republican politicians including Chris Sununu, (former U.S. Sen.) Kelly Ayotte, (Senate President) Chuck Morse, (House Speaker) Sherman Packard and (former congressional candidate) Matt Mowers refuse to put country before party and call for Trump to be held accountable.â Ayotte has been the subject of widespread speculation that she may be considering running for office again in 2022. She was highly critical of then-candidate Trump in 2016 but then helped the administration by shepherding current U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch through the confirmation process. We reached out to her for a comment on the impeachment and on Trumpâs responsibility â or lack thereof â for the riot, but she did not respond. Buckley said that while some U.S. House Republicans voted for impeachment, âthere are still too many politicians who remain complicit as Trump and members of the GOP threaten our democracy. âTheir complicity is shameful, and Granite Staters deserve better than politicians like Chris Sununu who cares more about climbing the ladder in his political career than standing up for our country and our democracy.â The state Republican Party has not responded to WMUR's request for comment.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, said after the U.S. House impeachment vote that âthere is simply no chance that a fair or serious trialâ on Trumpâs removal could end before President-elect Joe Biden takes office Wednesday.He did not hint when the trial could begin. McConnell also wrote in a letter to his GOP colleagues that he has not decided yet whether he would vote to convict Trump of the House charge that he incited insurrection. STEPANEK: NOT TRUMPâS FAULT. NHGOP Chair Steve Stepanek attended the Republican National Committee winter meeting last week, a session that occurred the day the violence occurred at the Capitol. Click here.LONGTIME TRUMP LOYALIST DISGUSTED. Longtime state Rep. Al Baldasaro, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and outspoken and often-controversial figure at the State House, told New Hampshire Primary Source he wrote a tweet that surprised many readers after having a disturbing dream on Tuesday night. Click here.CHALLENGES FROM THE RIGHT. The members of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee will meet remotely Jan. 23 to elect officers, and before the partyâs filing period ended on Jan. 8, conservative opponents emerged for NHGOP Chair Steve Stepanek and Vice Chair Pam Tucker. Click here.CHARGES, COUNTER CHARGES. State Republican Party Chair Steve Stepanek is standing by his charge this week that Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, skipped the proverbial line ahead of vulnerable Americans in receiving their COVID-19 vaccines. Click here.ATTACKS, COUNTER-ATTACKS. Granite State activists on both sides of the political aisle are caught up in nasty political discourse on social media in the wake of last weekâs riot at the Capitol building. Click here.LEADERSHIP TEAM. Recently-elected New Hampshire House Speaker Sherman Packard formally names a House majority leadership team this week with a distinctly conservative ring to it. Click here.(Follow John DiStaso on Twitter: @jdistaso.)