The North Carolina Republican Party has voted to censure Senator Richard Burr for his vote to convict Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection, stating that independent minds aren’t welcome in the GOP, CNN reports.

In a statement following the unanimous vote, the state GOP said that Burr should have voted “with the strong majority of Republicans in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate” who believe that the impeachment was unconstitutional even though the Senate voted that they had jurisdiction and Senators swore to hear the evidence impartially.

“Now that the Senate has voted to acquit … Trump, we hope that Democrats will set aside their divisive partisan agenda and focus on the American priorities of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, safely reopening schools and restarting the economy,” the committee said, trying to dismiss Trump’s activity to stoke violence, for which Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump was “practically and morally responsible.”

Burr was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump.  He is the first Senator to get censured by his state committee.  Ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump; many of them have been censured by their state or local Party committees.

Burr released a statement lamenting the downfall of the GOP:  “My party’s leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party and the founders of our great nation.”

Burr has already announced that he will not seek reelection in 2022.