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A group of Republican senators led by Ted Cruz have said they will challenge Joe Biden’s election victory, the latest desperate move to support Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine the vote.
The initiative, which is sure to fail, runs counter to the rulings of dozens of courts and the conclusions of officials in several key states that there were no widespread voting problems.
The Republican statement, signed by Cruz and six other current senators along with four elected senators, states that “allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 elections exceed any of our lives.”
They join Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who previously said he planned to file objections Wednesday.
The group said that when Congress meets in a joint session on Wednesday, for what would normally be a proforma certification of Biden’s victory, they will demand the creation of a special commission to conduct a “10-day emergency audit” of the election results.
The statement says individual states could then call special legislative sessions and potentially revise their vote totals.
“An attempt to steal a landslide victory. I can’t let it happen!” Trump tweeted.
Posting a list of all 11 senators, Trump added: “And after you see the facts, there will be many more to come … Our country will love you for it!”
A Republican member of the House of Representatives, Louie Gohmert, also announced his plan to oppose the certification, and more than 100 House Republicans will reportedly back his challenge.
Gohmert sought to further raise the stakes with a lawsuit that would have given Vice President Mike Pence, traditionally in a ceremonial role in Wednesday’s session, the power to override the election result.
Pence opposed that effort and a federal judge in Texas rejected the lawsuit on Friday. Yesterday, a federal appeals court confirmed that dismissal.
The challenges from Hawley and Gohmert will ensure that Congress must meet to hear the complaints.
The congressional sessions, which are sure to be controversial, will unfold against the backdrop of pro-Trump demonstrations in Washington next week.
As with Trump’s other attempts to reverse his electoral defeat, the latest political moves appear to be doomed.
Democrats control the House and many Republicans are expected to vote on certification Wednesday.
All 11 senators admitted that most Democrats and “more than a few Republicans” would likely oppose their initiative.
Among them is Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, a battlefield state that helped Biden to victory. His result is expected to be among those played on Wednesday.
“A fundamental and defining characteristic of a democratic republic is the right of the people to choose their own leaders,” Toomey tweeted.
“The effort by Senators Hawley, Cruz and others to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections in swing states like Pennsylvania directly undermines this right.”
He added: “I voted for President Trump and supported him for reelection. But, on Wednesday, I intend to vigorously defend our form of government by opposing this effort to disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and elsewhere.” .
Biden won the all-important Electoral College by 306 votes to 232.
Cruz is considered a likely presidential candidate in 2024. Hawley is also said to be positioning himself for a race in 2024, as is Pence.
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