Trump should keep his vengeful fingers out of WA state elections | Editorial

Donald Trump’s vindictiveness has no place in a local election, yet it appears he is determined to get back at the 10 House Republicans who broke ranks and voted to impeach him earlier this year.

It has come to light that his advisors have been meeting at Trump’s estate in Florida to plan how to thwart the re-election of those lawmakers he has targeted.

And they likely will include two long-time veterans in Washington state scheduled to run in 2022 — Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, and our own Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside.

What is so unsettling is the idea that revenge is at the heart of Trump’s plan, and that his drive for personal payback is more important to him than the needs and varied interests of local citizens.

Newhouse and Herrera Beutler knew they were going to anger many of their constituents when they turned on Trump. But to their credit, they have repeatedly said since the impeachment vote that they do not regret their decisions.

On Jan. 6, rioters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the Electoral College vote affirming Joe Biden’s win, and Trump’s rally in the morning of that fateful day helped spur the mob on.

But what was most alarming was Trump’s apparent apathy during the siege that left five people dead.

Newhouse and Herrera Beutler both said Trump did nothing to stop the violence.

In fact, Herrera Beutler was willing to speak as a witness at Trump’s U.S. Senate trial saying she had secondhand knowledge of a phone call between Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., during the riot.

When McCarthy implored Trump to do something to quell the mayhem, McCarthy said Trump replied, “Well Kevin, I guess they’re more upset about the election than you are.”

In the end, Herrera Beutler’s written account of this ended up becoming part of the trial record and the senators voted 57-43 in favor of convicting Trump, which did not meet the two-thirds needed.

Newhouse, too, was upset Trump failed to act during the riot.

During his impeachment vote, Newhouse said, “A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation’s capitol. It is also a vote to condone President Trump’s inaction. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.”

While we praised Newhouse for voting his conscience and putting his country over his party, many Trump supporters in the district were furious with their congressman.

Six Eastern Washington GOP leaders called for Newhouse to resign, including the leaders of the Benton and Franklin Republican parties.

They saw the impeachment vote as a betrayal, and now three people — all Trump supporters — have announced plans to run against Newhouse.

They include Jerrod Sessler, a former NASCAR driver and business owner; state Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick; and Loren Culp, the former Republic police officer who ran against Gov. Jay Inlsee last fall.

It will take time for Trump and his advisers to vet Newhouse’s challengers, according to a recent McClatchy story on the former president’s revenge plan.

It would be best if Trump just left well enough alone. It is one thing for local and state party leaders to plan a campaign strategy, but it’s quite another to have a former president attempt to blatantly punish lawmakers by meddling with their re-election campaigns.

There seems to be enough Trump supporters who are already planning to make it tough on Newhouse.

Citizens living in Central Washington shouldn’t have to worry that the former president is getting involved because he wants revenge. Trump needs to keep his fingers out this.

This story was originally published May 12, 2021 at 11:39 AM.