COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nancy Mace voted against impeaching Donald Trump Wednesday, but the recently elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives still wants to hold the president accountable for his "words and actions" prior to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
During a Sunday morning appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Republican representing South Carolina's 1st District said she voted against impeachment because of the speed of the process. But Mace wants to punish Trump after he held a rally where he urged people to head to Capitol Hill.
A violent mob of roughly 1,000 pro-Trump supporters pushed past Capitol police and broke into offices and the House and Senate chambers, briefly disrupting the Electoral College vote that affirmed Joe Biden's win over Trump in November's presidential election.
"I stated very unequivocally that the House has every right to impeach the president of the United States. But the fact that we bypassed (the Judiciary committee), we did not open up an investigation, that we bypassed due process, that set a dangerous constitutional precedent for others," Mace said Sunday. "No matter even if you think the president is guilty as Hell, like many do believe, there has to be due process, there has to be an investigation.
"I think you would've gotten more Republicans on board if it were done with due process and with an investigation."
Mace said she supports censuring the president. She said that move — to hold Trump accountable and prevent him from holding elected office again — had bipartisan support. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't bring it up for debate or a vote, so Mace felt compelled to vote against impeachment, she said.
"We were really trying hard to figure out, how do we hold a president accountable that put all of our lives at risk," Mace said. "And this was a traumatic event for many members of Congress. And I believe in the days, weeks, months to come, as we learn more, the worse it's going to get. We feared for our lives. ... We do need to find a way to hold the president accountable."
Election certification vote
Trump was not the only Republican Mace had an issue with following the riot.
She said it was "enormously disappointing" that many Republicans continued to object to President-elect Joe Biden's victory in November's election after Congress returned to the Electoral College certification vote.
"I literally had to walk through a crime scene where that young woman was shot and killed to get into the chamber to vote that night to certify, what was supposed to be a ceremonial vote to certify the Electoral College. And yet my colleagues continued to object, and they knew this was a failing motion — these objections were not going to work and they were unconstitutional. So it was enormously disappointing," Mace said. "We have reconciliation that needs to happen within our own party, we need to rebuild the Republican Party, we need to rebuild our country."
Mace was the only Republican member of the House from South Carolina who voted to certify Biden's electoral victory.
Support for Liz Cheney
Mace voiced support for Liz Cheney, even though they were on opposite sides of the impeachment vote.
The third-ranking Republican in the House has been criticized by members of her own party for voting for Trump's impeachment, and her future among leadership has been challenged.
Following what she called her "vote of conscience," Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said she has no plans to step down.
"The irony in all of this ... is that the same people that were complaining and screaming about the president being silenced on Twitter want to silence a dissenting voice within our own party," Mace told host Chuck Todd. "I find that very hypocritical and very disappointing. We should embrace dissension and debate. ... I support Liz Cheney."
Although she is a freshman and only a few weeks into her term, Mace said she is willing to speak up and help guide the Republican Party and the United States.
"I want to be a new voice for the Republican Party, and that's one of the reasons I've spoken out so strongly against the president, against these QAnon conspiracy theorists that led us in a constitutional crisis," Mace said. "It's just wrong and we've got to put a stop to it."
