More Republicans enlist in Trump’s effort to undo Biden’s win

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are joining United States President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to reverse the election and vowed to reject the results when Congress meets next week to count Electoral College votes and certify. the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas announced on Saturday (local time) a coalition of 11 senators and elected senators who have enlisted for Trump’s effort to subvert the will of American voters.

This follows the statement by Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who was the first to oppose the Senate leadership by saying he would join House Republicans in opposing the state counts during Wednesday’s joint session of Congress.

Trump’s refusal to accept defeat is tearing the party apart as Republicans are forced to make important decisions that will shape the contours of the post-Trump era. Hawley and Cruz are among the possible 2024 presidential contenders.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had urged his party not to try to override what nonpartisan election officials have concluded is a free and fair vote.

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The 11 senators largely acknowledged Saturday that they will fail to prevent Biden from taking office on January 20 after he won Electoral College 306-232. But his challenges, and those of House Republicans, represent the most comprehensive effort to undo the outcome of a presidential election since the Civil War.

“We do not take this action lightly,” Cruz and the other senators said in a joint statement.

They promised to vote against certain state voters on Wednesday unless Congress appoints an election commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. They are targeting states where Trump has raised unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. Congress is unlikely to agree to his demand.

The group, which did not present new evidence of electoral problems, includes Senators 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 elected senators. Cynthia Lummis. from Wyoming, Roger Marshall from Kansas, Bill Hagerty from Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville from Alabama.

Biden’s transitional spokesman, Mike Gwin, dismissed the effort as a “stunt” that won’t change the fact that Biden will take office on January 20.

Trump, the first president to lose a re-election bid in nearly 30 years, has attributed his defeat to widespread electoral fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials and even Trump’s attorney general that there was none. Of the approximately 50 lawsuits that the president and his allies have presented challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped. He also lost twice in the United States Supreme Court.

The next few days are expected to do little to change the outcome.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the panel overseeing the Electoral College count. said the Republican effort to create a federal commission “to replace state certifications” is wrong.

“It is undemocratic. He is anti-American. And fortunately it will not be successful. In the end, democracy will prevail, ”he said in a statement.

The convocation of the joint session for the counting of the Electoral College votes is usually routine. While objections have been raised before, in 2017, several House Democrats challenged Trump’s victory, few have come close to this level of intensity.

Across the Republican divide, several senators spoke out Saturday against Cruz and Hawley’s effort.

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a statement that she will vote to affirm the election and urged colleagues from both parties to join her in “maintaining confidence” in the elections “to ensure that we have the continued confidence of the American people.” .

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey said that “a fundamental and defining characteristic of a democratic republic is the right of the people to elect their own leaders.” He said the effort by Hawley, Cruz and others “to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in undecided states like Pennsylvania directly undermines this right.”

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah called the Cruz-led effort an “ill-conceived effort” and said Trump’s call for supporters to converge on Capitol Hill had “the predictable potential to lead to disruption, and worse.” . He added: “I could never have imagined seeing these things in the largest democracy in the world. Has it overshadowed the ambition of principles so much?”

Earlier this week, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, another possible contender for 2024, urged his colleagues to “reject this dangerous ploy,” which he said threatens the nation’s civic norms.

Caught in the middle is Vice President Mike Pence, who faces mounting pressure from Trump allies for his ceremonial role in presiding over the session on Wednesday. His chief of staff, Marc Short, said in a statement Saturday that Pence “appreciates the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections.”

Several Republicans have indicated that they are under pressure from voters at home to show that they are fighting for Trump in his unfounded campaign to stay in office.

Senator John Thune, the second-rank Republican, told reporters on Capitol Hill that the leadership was allowing senators “to vote on their conscience.”

Thune’s comments as the Republican whip in charge of rounding the votes show that the Republican leadership is not putting its strength behind Trump’s demands, but rather allowing senators to choose their course. He pointed out the seriousness of questioning the outcome of the elections.

“This is an issue that has incredible consequences, that is historically incredibly rare and that sets a precedent,” he said. “This is a great vote.”

Pence will be watched closely as he presides over what is usually a routine vote recount in Congress, but is now headed for a protracted showdown that could extend into Wednesday night, depending on how many challenges are mounted.

The latest failed effort to reverse the election came from Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas, and a group of Arizona voters, who filed a lawsuit to try to force Pence out of the mere ceremony and shape the outcome of the vote. . Trump-appointed US District Judge Jeremy Kernodle dismissed the lawsuit Friday night. In another blow, Gohmert’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit was rejected Saturday night, the panel of judges agreed with Kernodle’s ruling that the plaintiffs had no standing to file. the demand.

To avoid a dramatic unravel, McConnell called a conference call with Republican senators on Thursday specifically to address the upcoming joint session and the logistics of the vote count, according to several Republicans who were granted anonymity to discuss the private call.

The Republican leader deliberately asked Hawley to answer questions about his challenge to Biden’s victory, according to two of the Republicans.

But there was no response because Hawley did not show up, Republicans said.

Hawley’s office said he later emailed his colleagues explaining his views. In the email, Hawley said voters at home are “angry and disappointed” with the outcome of the election.

McConnell had previously warned Republican senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for his colleagues. In essence, legislators would be forced to choose between the will of the outgoing president and that of the voters.