GOP’s Thune says Trump allies engaging in ‘cancel culture’

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Republican Sen. John Thune is criticizing activists and party leaders for engaging in “cancel culture” by rushing to censure GOP senators for voting to convict former President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial. The Senate’s No. 2 Republican said Thursday that although he voted to acquit Trump last week, Republicans who found him guilty of inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol should not be censured for taking a “vote of conscience.” Thune’s remarks come as the GOP looks for a path back to majorities in the House and Senate while grappling with Trump’s enduring hold on the party.