GOP lawmaker slaps down 'would-be tyrant' Trump after South Carolina rally

A South Carolina Republican who was attacked by Donald Trump at a rally in Florence on Saturday night fired back by calling the former president a "would-be tyrant" after the event.

According to a report from the Guardian, Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC) didn't take Trump's comments lying down and defended his decision to vote to impeach the former president for his part in inciting the Jan 6th insurrection.

According to the Guardian's Martin Pengelly, "Rice was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting the attack. Trump was acquitted when only seven Senate Republicans voted to find him guilty. Like all House Republicans, Rice supported Trump when he was impeached a first time, for withholding military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to extract dirt on Biden."

With Rice's vote to impeach in mind, Saturday night Trump lashed at the lawmaker -- along with fellow Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) -- telling the crowd the two GOPers are “atrocious RINOs” and then adding Rice is a "disaster” and “a total fool … laughed at in Washington."

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Trump added, "Thankfully this June you have a chance to dump these grandstanding losers and replace them with two rock-solid America-first champions."

That led to a furious response from Rice who fired back, "If you want a congressman who supports political violence in Ukraine or in the United States Capitol, who supports party over country, who supports a would-be tyrant over the constitution, and who makes decisions based solely on re-election, then [Trump endorsee] Russell Fry is your candidate.”

The lawmaker continued, "Trump is here because, like no one else I’ve ever met, he is consumed by spite. I took one vote he didn’t like and now he’s chosen to support a yes man candidate who has and will bow to anything he says.”

As for his impeachment vote, the Guardian is reporting Rice explained, "I’ve had some people come to me and say, ‘I was disappointed in your vote’. But 10 times as many have said, ‘Thank you.’”

You can read more here.