A group of Republican senators plan to challenge Joe Biden’s election win on January 6. The measure will fail but is being touted as a sign of loyalty and support for Trump. Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, who beat him in the popular vote and in the electoral college. Biden will be sworn in as president on January 20th.
GOP Senators Set To Challenge Biden Win. “Eleven Republican senators and senators-elect said on Saturday that they would vote to reject President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory next week when Congress meets to formally certify it, defying the results of a free and fair election to indulge President Trump’s futile attempts to remain in power with false claims of voting fraud.” [NY Times]
Ted Cruz Is Leading The Group Of Republicans. “Cruz, who, like Hawley, is thought to be considering a 2024 presidential bid, released a statement this afternoon announcing his plans, shortly after Axios first reported about them. Several other GOP senators are now expected to follow in a coordinated effort they consider distinct from Hawley’s.” [Axios]
Mike Pence Supports The Challenges. “The Vice President welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on January 6th.” [Mike Pence Press Release]
Mitch McConnell Opposes The Embarrassing Maneuver. “The move is opposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), though the GOP leadership is not whipping against the effort to prevent the certification of Biden as president.” [Politico]
GOP Falsely Claims Election Irregularities In Statement. “”A fair and credible audit—conducted expeditiously and completed well before January 20—would dramatically improve Americans’ faith in our electoral process and would significantly enhance the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next President. We owe that to the People,” they said in a statement, adding that Congress’ vote on January 6 is the “lone constitutional power remaining to consider and force resolution of the multiple allegations of serious voter fraud.”” [CNN]
Trump Official Peter Navarro Falsely Claims Pence Can Postpone The Inauguration. ““Vice President Pence, he has the authority to give that 10-day window to do what needs to get done,” Navarro insisted, as Pirro nodded. “I cannot imagine when he looks at the facts he won’t vote the right way on that.”” [Huffington Post]
GOP Election Challenge Will Fail And Biden Will Win. “Congress will count the Electoral College votes in a joint session of Congress on January 6, which represents Trump’s final chance to try to overturn the election result he lost to Biden. In reality, Trump’s Republican allies have virtually zero chance of changing the result, only to delay the inevitable affirmation of Biden as the Electoral College winner and the next president.” [CNN]
Reaction To GOP Stunt
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): “Please Get A Grip.” ““With all due respect to my Republican colleagues in the Senate who are doing this: Can you please get a grip?” Klobuchar tweeted before pointing out that come Jan. 20, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would enter the White House.” [HuffPost]
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-ND) Called The Senators “Institutional Arsonists.” “”The president and his allies are playing with fire,” Sasse said in a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday night. “If you make big claims, you had better have the evidence. But the president doesn’t and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote.”” [Yahoo]
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.