Opinion: Arizona Republicans still backing Trump are on the wrong path

Editor’s Note: Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio’s daily program “The Dean Obeidallah Show” and a columnist for The Daily Beast. But instead Ward was rewarded with another term after she played an audio message of Trump personally urging Arizona GOP members to support her, saying about Ward, “I give her my complete and total endorsement.” Kirk Adams, a former GOP state representative in Arizona, voiced concerns to CNN that the GOP is still continuing down “the rabbit hole of loyalty” to Trump, remarking: “What we’re getting is a purity test, and that purity test is simple: are you loyal to Donald Trump no matter what?” He added pointedly, “If you’re not, we’ll censure you.” What was missing from the Arizona state GOP meeting was a resolution slamming Trump for his buffet of dangerous lies about election fraud and for inciting the January 6 insurrection on our Capitol. Since then, as the New York Times reported, nearly all 10 who voted to impeach “have either already been formally censured by local branches of the GOP, face upcoming censure votes or have been publicly scolded by local party leaders.” The most vocal attacks have come against Rep. Liz Cheney for her vote to impeach, with over half of GOP House members seeking to remove Cheney from her leadership position and primary challengers already lining up to take her on back in her home state of Wyoming. Now some GOP leaders – instead of joining efforts to hold Trump accountable for his misconduct – are beginning to weaponize Trump’s “Big Lie” by proposing changes to election legislation. Join us on Twitter and Facebook Many in the GOP have made the choice that even though Trump is out of office they will maintain his “election fraud” lies – as GOP Sen. Rand Paul did Sunday morning on ABC’s “This Week.” They will punish those not loyal to Trump and refuse to criticize his incitement of an insurrection.