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(CNN) – Nearly a dozen Republican senators and senators-elect announced Saturday that they will vote against the electoral vote count next week as Congress is expected to certify the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, despite no credible evidence suggesting fraud. widespread electoral in the 2020 elections.
The 11 Republican lawmakers said they intend to support an objection to Electoral College votes, if presented, and propose an electoral commission to conduct a “10-day emergency audit” of the election results in the “disputed states. ». The group includes Senators Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Braun of Indiana, and Senators-elect Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Roger Marshall from Kansas, Bill Hagerty from Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville from Alabama.
“A fair and credible audit, conducted promptly and completed well before January 20, would dramatically improve the faith of Americans in our electoral process and significantly enhance the legitimacy of whoever becomes our next president. We owe it to the people, “they said in a statement, adding that the congressional vote on January 6 is the” only remaining constitutional power to consider and force the resolution of the multiple allegations of serious electoral fraud. “
As previously reported by CNN, the objection from President Donald Trump’s Republican allies has virtually zero chance of changing the outcome of the election, it would only delay for a few hours the inevitable certification of Biden’s victory as the Electoral College winner and the next president. .
There have been no credible allegations of voting problems that would have impacted the election, as claimed by dozens of state and federal courts, governors, state election officials, and the departments of Homeland Security and Justice. And none of the Republican officials who oppose Biden’s victory have objected to Trump’s victories, or in some cases their own, on the same day.
On Wednesday, Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri became the first senator to announce plans to oppose the results, an important move as both a member of the House and a senator must object when Congress counts electoral votes. . CNN previously reported that at least 140 House Republicans are estimated to vote against the electoral vote count in Congress, according to two Republican House members.
Hawley tweeted Saturday that he is “glad to see more senators join the fight.”
In his statement, the 11 Republican senators and senators-elect did not specify the states they intend to reject, but Hawley noted that he plans to object to the certification of at least one state, Pennsylvania.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said the vote would mark one of the most important, perhaps the most significant, he has ever cast in his life, told the Republican Senate conference to vote conscientiously, but He also privately urged members not to join this initiative. Some Republican senators have already spoken out publicly against the strategy.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, apparently dismissed the announcement Saturday from a handful of Republicans, tweeting: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be President and Vice President of the United States in 18 days.”
The 11 Republican lawmakers appeared to acknowledge Saturday that their efforts may be futile, saying they “are not naive” and “hope that most, if not all, Democrats, and perhaps more than a few Republicans, will vote otherwise.”
Trump has lobbied for Congress to try to override the election result, while his campaign’s attempts to override the election through the courts have been repeatedly rejected.
On Friday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas and several Arizona Republicans seeking to force Vice President Mike Pence to help turn the election in favor of Trump.
CNN’s Jeremy Herb, Phil Mattingly, Alison Main and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
