Clark County Republican Party votes to censure Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler

Feb 25, 2021 Clark County Today

The Clark County Republican Party (CCRP) Central Committee has voted to censure Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. The vote took place at the CCRP’s first quarterly business meeting Tuesday (Feb. 23).

“An overwhelming majority of precinct committee officers passed the resolution,’’ CCRP Chairman Joel Mattila told Clark County Today via email Wednesday. “The Clark County Republican Party is stronger and more united than ever before and, working with state and national leadership, our focus now turns toward keeping the Republican leaning 3rd Congressional District seat in Republican hands.’’

The decision to censure Herrera Beutler follows a series of announcements in recent days by three Clark County-area Republicans who stated their intentions to challenge Herrera Beutler for her seat in the US House of Representatives. Herrera Beutler has served as representative for the 3rd Congressional District since 2010. She was just re-elected in the November general election.

Each of the three candidates — Yacolt resident Joe Kent, Battle Ground resident Heidi St. John, and Vancouver resident Wadi Yakhour — cited Herrera Beutler’s vote to impeach President Donald Trump as a prime reason for their candidacy.

The 3rd Congressional District boundary stretches into the following Washington counties — Clark, Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakim, Cowlitz, Skamania, Klickitat and Thurston. The CCRP resolution states that Clark County Republican Central Committee will work together with the other counties “to vet and select a single, conservative Republican candidate to run for the Third Congressional seat in the 2022 congressional race.’’ 

Carolyn Crain presented the CCRP resolution to censure Herrera Beutler at Tuesday’s CCRP meeting. Crain was first to speak and she too referenced the Congresswoman’s vote to impeach President Trump in her comments.

“She violated my trust and it broke my heart,” an emotional Crain told the precinct committee officers who gathered at the meeting. “We will be giving her more opportunities to address her accusers than she gave our president.”

The resolution stated the following:

WHEREAS, Articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump were filed and voted on by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives with no formal hearings held, no quantifiable evidence presented, no witnesses sworn to give testimony, and no right to cross examine the accusers provided; and 

WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler did vote in favor of the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump despite the lack of any formal hearing being held, evidence being presented, witnesses being sworn to testify, or accusers being questioned; and 

WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler cast her vote without any quantifiable evidence of High Crimes or Misdemeanors; and 

WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler was elected by a majority of Washington’s Third Congressional District voters to represent the will, the values, and the stated preferences of the majority of said voters; and 

WHEREAS, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court is obligated by Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 of the US Constitution to preside over impeachment trials, and Chief Justice John Roberts declined to preside over the impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate, indicating an unwillingness of the Supreme Court to lend legitimacy to this impeachment proceeding; and 

WHEREAS, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler has violated the trust of her voters, failed to faithfully represent the majority of Third Congressional District voters, and neglected her duty to represent the Republican Party and the will of the people who elected her to represent them. The consequence of Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler’s actions has resulted in numerous Republicans in Clark County, the Third Congressional District, Washington State, and the United States, indicating that they will either no longer actively participate in the Republican Party, are stepping down from Precinct Committee Officer positions within the Republican Party, or have cancelled their donations to the Republican Party, and withdrawn their support, rendering themselves Independent voters, because of, or as long as, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler holds office. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, The Clark County Republican Central Committee does hereby censure Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler of the Third Congressional District of Washington State for her actions on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, for voting in favor of a process that eliminated investigation and public hearings, provided no evidence to consider, called no witnesses to be sworn, and allowed none of the accusers to be questioned by the accused; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, The Clark County Republican Central Committee will withhold any future political funding and support of all resources for Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, unless the Clark County Republican Central Committee finds reason to the contrary based on an in-person explanation from Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, The Clark County Republican Central Committee calls on Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler to appear before this body at its next Quarterly Business Meeting of Tuesday, May 25, 2021 to explain her actions to this body, the Washington State Republican Party membership, and the entirety of the concerned Third Congressional District electorate; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, The Clark County Republican Central Committee will work together, whole and unified, in conjunction with the other six counties of the Third Congressional District – Lewis County, Pacific County, Wahkiakum County, Cowlitz County, Skamania County, Klickitat County, and southern Thurston County – to vet and select a single, conservative Republican candidate to run for the Third Congressional seat in the 2022 congressional race.