HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who is Bill Cassidy? GOP senator votes Trump 'guilty' for Capitol riots after being called an 'object of shame'

The Louisiana senator won himself fans among Democrat voters but censure from his own Republican party

Senator Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Donald Trump, released a short video on Twitter explaining his decision. In the video, the Louisiana senator said: “Our constitution and our country is more important than any one person. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty.”

READ MORE

Who was Jeffrey Smith? Capitol cop who killed himself 'wasn't the same' after being hit by pole during riots

Can Hillary Clinton be impeached? Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen says she can be tried under 'new precedent'

Richard Burr was the first Republican senator to vote that Donald Trump was guilty. Soon after him, Senator Cassidy also voted guilty. He and Burr were joined by five more Republicans — Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse, Mitt Romney and Pat Toomey — in joining their Democratic Party colleagues in the vote to impeach Trump for 'inciting the insurrection'. The final vote count showed that 57 Senators voted "Guilty", while 43 voted "Not Guilty". 

Senator Cassidy's video got several comments and retweets about his decision. "Thank you Senator Cassidy. From the bottom@of my heart, you have given me a sliver of hope. I am sorry that this will have far reaching impacts to the Senate. Today I was convinced (by the words of Mr. McConnell) that the Filibuster must go," said one tweet. Another user responded by praising Cassidy and the other six Republicans who voted 'guilty' during the impeachment trial. "My admiration to the 7 Republican Senators with moral courage who proved they put the country before 'one weird dude'. The rest should be embarrassed, but history will deal with them, if Trump doesn’t do it first. The House Managers were awesome. Sad day for our country." Yet another said "Ignore the haters."

The Louisiana senator also seems to have won himself fans among Democrat voters. "I’m a registered D but have decided to follow you for a bit out of respect for your decision today. Thank you for putting America first," said one user, while another said: "I am so proud that you are my US Senator. It’s been a long time since I was proud of any elected official. Today you showed integrity, character and courage. THANK YOU!!!"  

Earlier, the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish, had censured Senator Cassidy, calling him “an object of shame”, for voting to continue the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. The resolution, which was unanimously adopted on February 10, said Cassidy’s vote “to allow the impeachment fiasco to continue was a betrayal of the people of Louisiana and a rebuke to those who supported President Trump and him.” It added: “We condemn Senator Cassidy’s actions in the strongest manner. He does not represent the people of this state or the Republican Party. He represents himself and has joined with some of the most dishonest and disreputable forces in our country to be part of this despicable sham.”

Who is Bill Cassidy?

In the short Twitter bio, Senator Cassidy introduces himself as someone who "treated uninsured patients as a doctor in Louisiana’s charity hospital system" and who is "now serving the people of my state in the US Senate. Proud LSU grad!". Cassidy, 63, grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and attended Louisiana State University (LSU) for undergraduate and medical school. In 1990, Bill joined LSU Medical School teaching medical students and residents at Earl K. Long Hospital, a hospital for the uninsured.

He had co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a clinic providing free dental and health care to the working uninsured. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Bill led a group of health care volunteers to convert an abandoned K-Mart building into an emergency health care facility, providing basic health care to hurricane evacuees. In 2014, he was elected to the Senate. He was reelected in 2020 to his second term in the Senate.

He was part of the Senate Health Committee and has mostly focussed on lowering the cost of health care, secure coastal restoration projects to protect Louisiana families from natural disasters, and reform of the national mental health system. He has served on the Finance Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Veterans Affairs committees.