Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump is exacting revenge on a House GOP lawmaker who voted to impeach him nearly four years ago.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., is one of only two House Republicans left in Congress out of the original 10 who defied their party and voted with Democrats after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“Newhouse has to go! He wished he didn’t do what he did, but it’s too late,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Tuesday morning, just a week before Election Day.
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Trump also emphasized his support for Newhouse’s rival. “Jerrod Sessler is a fantastic Candidate and will be a GREAT Congressman for Washington State’s 4th Congressional District.”
“He is running against a Weak and Pathetic RINO named Newhouse, who voted to, for no reason, Impeach me,” Trump wrote.
Sessler, a Navy veteran, is challenging Newhouse for Washington’s 4th Congressional District. In addition to Trump, he is also backed by the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Newhouse is seeking a sixth term representing what is the reddest district in Washington state, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
He came second to Sessler in the state’s primary elections over the summer. Washington’s primaries do not operate on a party-based system – instead, the top-two candidates in the race advance to the general election.
Newhouse told the Yakima Herald-Republic last week that he did not believe his vote to impeach Trump would prevent him from working well with the ex-president if he wins the White House again.
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“I worked very closely and successfully with President Trump and his first administration and I feel very confident that I can do that again,” he said.
He acknowledged the impeachment vote as “the elephant in the room” but said, “We really don’t think that would be a factor.”
Newhouse won re-election in 2022 against a Democratic challenger by a rough margin of 68% to 32%.
His campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump originally endorsed Sessler and Republican Tiffany Smiley in the district’s primary earlier this year in a bid to force Newhouse out. Sessler finished first, while Smiley was eliminated after finishing third.
