Censure-obsessed Republicans fume after procedural hurdle kills their rebuke of Ben Sasse

Republicans in Nebraska's most populous county failed to censure Sen. Ben Sasse (R) for his vote to convict former President Donald Trump thanks to a technicality when a handful of the party's central committee members left the meeting early this Tuesday, the Lincoln Journal Star reports.

As a result, the Douglas County Republican Party was missing three people needed to vote on the formal resolution, which slammed Sasse for his vote to convict Trump over his alleged incitement of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and his criticisms of some party members.

The situation "angered several people in the crowd who were there to support Trump and rebuke Sasse," according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

One such person, Denise Bradshaw, said the failure of the censure to pass might prevent her from helping Republican candidates in the future.

"What happened tonight was a strategic plan to prevent Sasse from being embarrassed," said Bradshaw. "I believe Senator Sasse is trying to run for president in 2024, and any aspirations would be dashed if he can't keep his own party in line."

Several other county GOP parties have successfully passed censure resolutions targeting Sasse. But according to the Lincoln Journal Star's editorial board, the resolutions are unlikely to have much of an impact.

"The tsk-tsk of disapproval means little, especially given the six-year terms of the Senate were designed by the Constitution to insulate those in the Senate, unlike the House, from knee-jerk reactions of this nature. Sasse isn't on the ballot again until 2026, anyway," the board wrote. "Though plenty of the criticism Sasse has received the past four years is merited, he's now in the party's doghouse for speaking the plain truth."