Cassidy spoke in the U.S. Capitol Monday evening after a stinging Republican primary reelection loss, returning for the first time since his defeat. He told reporters that he did not regret the Senate vote that resulted in Trump’s conviction during the impeachment trial five years ago, describing it as a decision about constitutional duty rather than personal risk.
Cassidy said he voted “to uphold the Constitution,” adding that “it may have cost me my seat, but who cares?” He said he had “the privilege of voting to uphold the Constitution” and asked reporters to consider the value of voting on “something momentous.” He later added that he “feels very, very good” about his service to the country, his Constitution, and “my fellow Americans.”
After years of deflecting questions about the impeachment vote and sometimes saying little when pressed by reporters in Capitol hallways, Cassidy said he is now “at peace” and that his defeat has not changed his view of the vote itself. He said his supporters and opponents could interpret the political consequences differently, but he framed his choice as something he would repeat for the same reason.
Cassidy lost his seat in Louisiana’s Republican primary Saturday after Trump endorsed one of his opponents, according to the AP report. The same retirement politics and endorsement dynamics that helped power Trump’s influence also left Cassidy facing renewed scrutiny about the impeachment vote he cast after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Cassidy said he is now part of a “club” of Republican lawmakers who crossed Trump and lost, but he avoided directly criticizing Trump Monday, saying that “people want me to say negative things, but I’m saying positive things.” He did not say whether he would join other lawmakers in confronting Trump more openly, and instead said he wanted to focus on what he described as positive aspects of his record.
Several fellow Republican senators commented on Cassidy’s loss as he reflected on his time in office. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana colleague, said Cassidy’s “loss was predictable” and that Cassidy “knew it,” adding that Kennedy respected Cassidy’s decision to run and thanked him for his service. Kennedy said Cassidy’s impeachment vote “was an issue, there’s no question.”
Lindsey Graham, another Trump ally, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that those who try to destroy Trump politically and stand in the way of his agenda “are going to lose.” Trump, for his part, posted over the weekend on social media that it was “nice to see that his political career is OVER!”
Lisa Murkowski, one of the other Republicans who voted to convict Trump in a second impeachment trial, said she regretted Cassidy would not return to the Senate. She said Cassidy’s defeat “certainly has implications for us here” and said she appreciated working with him and his leadership.
The AP report said Cassidy’s path since impeachment has included both loyalty signaling and continued friction around the same vote. Until Saturday, Cassidy was described as silent on most Trump-related controversies and worked to show he remained supportive, including by eventually supporting the nomination of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. even after raising questions about vaccine skepticism. On Monday, Cassidy again avoided directly criticizing Trump, but he compared the impeachment vote to “a bad date in high school” and said “life is lived forward.”
Cassidy also addressed current legislative and legal issues, including a new nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” described as part of a settlement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. While other Republicans returning to Washington told reporters they either did not know enough about the fund or would not weigh in, Cassidy said he did not see any precedent for it. “We are a nation of laws,” Cassidy said. He added that Congress should have a say and said people he met on the campaign trail were concerned about making ends meet rather than about the “slush fund” without a legal precedent.
Asked about how he would vote on a next Democratic measure to halt the Iran war, Cassidy said he is undecided. He also made a pointed remark when asked whether he would run for office again, saying, “I respect democracy,” and adding that “right now that door just seems to be shut.”