Several senators, led by Senator Ted Cruz, say they will reject the result of the Electoral College unless a commission is appointed to conduct an audit of the ten-day results. Congress intends to count the Electoral College will vote on January 6th.
“We intend to vote on 6 January to expel the voters from disputed states because they were not ‘regularly given’ and ‘legally certified’ (the legal requirement), unless and until the ten – day state of emergency is completed, “the group said in a statement. statement Saturday.
Cruz’s group works separately from Republican Senator Josh Hawley in its bid to challenge the outcome of the election college when Congress convenes Wednesday. Dozens of Republicans from the House are also expected to win the election of Pres. Joe Biden will challenge, although the Electoral College confirmed its 306 election votes in December.
These last challenges are not going to change the outcome of the election, and Mr. Bids will be inaugurated on January 20th. Michael Gwin, spokesman for the Biden transition team, called the Republicans’ efforts a ‘stunt’.
“This stunt will not change the fact that President Biden will be sworn in on January 20, and these unfounded claims have already been investigated and rejected by Trump’s own attorney general, dozens of courts and election officials from both parties.” Gwin said.
The list of Republican lawmakers challenging the result includes the party’s biggest rising stars, and these efforts are an attempt to win favor with President Trump and his base.
Cruz works with senators Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn and Mike Braun, and elected senators Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Bill Hagerty and Tommy Tuberville. Only one of these senators, Johnson of Wisconsin, represents a state represented by Mr. Biden is won.
In their statement, the senators claim that they are trying to restore faith in the democratic process, due to allegations of voter fraud. Mr. Trump’s legal team has repeatedly failed to provide evidence of voter fraud in several lawsuits that have challenged the election results.
The declaration mentions the election of 1876, when Congress in early 1877 appointed an electoral commission to consider and resolve the controversial election records.
“Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission with full investigative and factual authority to conduct a necessary ten-day audit of the election records in the disputed states. Upon completion, individual states will evaluate the Commission’s findings and may special legislative session to confirm a change in their vote, if necessary, “reads the statement.
The joint sitting of Congress the law requires ratification of presidential results, but also allows ‘members to object to the proceeds of any individual state as announced’, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Hawley was previously the only Republican senator who pledged to cast the ballots in a last attempt about mr. Trump to deliver a second term after previous attempts to challenge the election results failed, including losses from several lawsuits brought by the campaign.
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and take measures to ensure the integrity of our election. But Congress has so far been unable to act,” Hawley said last week.
But even some Republicans view Hawley’s and others’ efforts as detrimental to democratic institutions, accusing them of making a cynical ploy to endorse Mr. To recruit Trump’s voters.
Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey – one of the states that Trump’s supporters may want to challenge the election results – apparently denounced the actions of Hawley, Cruz and others in a statement Saturday.
“A fundamental, defining feature of a democratic republic is the right of the people to elect their own leaders. The attempt by Senators Hawley, Cruz and others to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election in swinging states like Pennsylvania , directly undermines this right., “Toomey said. “I voted for President Trump and re-elected him. But on Wednesday, I intend to defend our form of government strongly by opposing millions of voters in my state and others.”
In a screaming tweet last week, Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger said that Hawley’s “internal monologue” during the announcement of his statement was: “I want to be president, so I decided to try to get POTUS tweet saying I’m awesome, even though I know that it’s not going anywhere, but hey … I’ll blame someone else if it fails. ‘
Republican Senator Ben Sasse posted a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday, saying that anyone who wants to challenge the election results is “playing with fire.”
“Let’s be clear what’s going on here: we have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think there’s a quick way to use the president’s populist base without damaging real long-term damage. But they’re wrong – and this issue is “greater than anyone’s personal ambitions. Adults do not aim a loaded gun at legitimate self-government,” Sasse said.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell mentioned the upcoming certification of the election vote next week, according to Senator Mitt Romney, the most popular vote, on a call with senators. Romney told reporters on Friday that he interpreted McConnell’s comments as meaning that the vote was a ‘referendum on our democracy’.
“Look, I lost in 2012, I know what it’s like to lose,” said Romney, who was elected president in 2012. ‘And there were people who said there were irregularities. I have people today who say ‘hey you know what you really won’ – but I did not, I just lost. Of course, there have always been irregularities, but spreading this kind of rumor about our electoral system is not dangerous for democracy here and abroad. “
In their statement, the senators acknowledged that they “fully expect that most, if not all Democrats, and perhaps more than a few Republicans, will vote differently” and accept the election results.
“A fair and credible audit carried out quickly before January 20 will dramatically improve Americans’ confidence in our election process and significantly increase the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next president.” . “We are not acting to stop the democratic process, but rather to protect it. And each of us must act together to ensure that the election is conducted legally under the Constitution and to do everything in our power to preserve the faith. in our democracy. “