WASHINGTON | Death threats, treason charges and no-confidence motions: The six elected Republicans who voted for an impeachment of Donald Trump after the Capitol storming and who are now seeking a new term have measured the price for the past 17 months to pay for standing up to the ruthless leader of their party.

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A week after the violent intrusion of supporters of the former president into the seat of the American Parliament, ten elected conservatives out of 211 supported the "impeachment" of Donald Trump, accused of having "incited" his supporters to march on Congress .

Four have since announced their retirement, but the others have become pariahs in their constituencies, chastised for their "disloyalty" at every turn of their electoral campaign for the midterm polls in November.

Ostracized by a party still largely subject to the former president, these six elected officials are preparing for a very public reminder of their break with Donald Trump during the parliamentary hearings which will shine all the spotlight on the events of January 6 from Thursday.

"Swamp"

Liz Cheney, daughter of a former vice president and one-time Republican leadership figure, suffered a steep downfall after describing Donald Trump's behavior as "the greatest of betrayals".

She was the subject of no-confidence motions by her party in Washington and in her state of Wyoming, where she was also the target of protests.

But she persevered, and she will take center stage on Thursday as vice-president of the so-called “January 6” commission of inquiry.

Mr. Trump, who does not miss an opportunity to invective her, considered in May that she was “the face of the swamp of Washington”, his way of describing the American political establishment.

For his part, elected official Peter Meijer, who is completing his first term, told MSNBC after his vote against Mr. Trump that he had to buy a bulletproof vest after receiving numerous death threats.

"It's sad to come to this, to expect someone to try to kill us," said the man who had previously accused Donald Trump of having "betrayed millions (of people) by his allegations. "stolen" election".

A local Michigan Republican official had notably joked that an “assassination” might be one way to handle his case.

Peter Meijer, however, seems in a position to win in his primary in August against a protege of Trump, but without the support of his own sister, a great admirer of the ex-president, and who has decided to support a rival.

Threat

Tom Rice and Dan Newhouse, who both tried to keep a low profile after their vote, nevertheless also suffered votes of no confidence and face candidates supported by the Republican billionaire.

The first, described by Donald Trump as a "coward" and a "cretin (...) who is laughed at in Washington", would have received a few weeks after the impeachment a voice message from a voter inviting him to "come and take coffee in his house so he could beat him up,” according to a police report cited by NBC.

David Valadao is the only one against whom the real estate magnate has not designated an opponent. The elected Californian is nonetheless facing “deep animosity” in his hometown of Hanford, according to the local daily The Daily Republic.

Jaime Herrera Beutler, finally, adds to the wrong of having voted for the impeachment the fact of having confirmed that Donald Trump reproached, during a call to the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, of not to be as “upset” about the outcome of the election as his supporters forcing their way into the Capitol to interrupt certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

Ms. Beutler was also the subject of a motion of censure and opponents demonstrated for a long time in front of her office in Washington State.

And not all of the threats she received were anonymous. One came from his own congressional colleague, far-right lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene.

"The 75 million people loyal to Trump (you) are watching", had thus warned "MTG" from its now suspended Twitter account.