A second source familiar with the call told CNN that McConnell made it clear to his members Thursday that he was giving them space to vote their conscience on such objections.
The conference call comes after McConnell discouraged members from objecting in the first place. But now that Hawley has made it clear that he will continue, members will have to decide for themselves whether they agree to the certification of the voters of a state or not. There are 19 Republican senators facing 2022 re-election. Republicans must defend 21 seats.
When Hawley did not speak on the call, Senator Pat Toomey, a retiring Republican, explained to the conference why he believes the state is not a good test case for allegations of election fraud, according to the second source familiar with the call.
The source added that Republican Senator Ron Johnson, Wisconsin, also spoke about the importance of the election fraud investigation, but as he said in public, he does not intend to object to the electoral college certification process.
The call Thursday morning was a rally for all members, which McConnell held fairly regularly, as Covid-19 and interruptions were scheduled, according to two people with immediate knowledge of what happened. They said the purpose of the call was not explicitly Hawley’s decision to object, but McConnell asked him several times for his reasoning before realizing he was not on.
McConnell’s move comes amid growing frustration within the Hawley move conference, especially among those who would be re-elected in 2022. A few GOP senators publicly expressed dissatisfaction on Wednesday, but more expressed their concern directly with leadership expressed, one of the two people said.
McConnell privately warned Republicans weeks ago that colleagues had warned them to vote against Trump, or against the clear winner of the election without any basis, the chance of objection. Given Trump’s move with the party, it would create an untenable position, especially for the GOP senators who will soon stand for re-election.
During the call on Thursday, McConnell at least partially sought to address the concerns raised by members of the leadership – and to give other senators the opportunity to express their concerns themselves – by calling on Hawley for an explanation.
‘Pissed’, one GOP senator described a large part of the conference to CNN.
Hawley told reporters on Wednesday he had “warned” the leadership about what he planned to do, but said he had not discussed it with his colleagues as everyone was out of town.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins contributed to this report.