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Despite the legal failure, a group that supports Trump is still cooking a plan to “recall” in the scrutiny session in parliament on January 6.
The leader of this effort was Alabama Republican Representative Mo Brooks. Together with a group of allies in the US House of Representatives, their goal is to challenge the election results in five states of Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Wisconsin, where they allege fraud or incorrect voting. legal to varying degrees, although these local governments have confirmed the results, there is also no evidence of widespread anomalies.
“Under the Constitution, we have a higher role than the Supreme Court or any state or federal judge. What we say is the final verdict,” Brooks said in an interview with NYTimes.
The Electoral College, with a total of 538 voters from 50 states and the capital, Washington on December 14, voted directly for the president. The electoral votes were then sent to parliament, where Vice President and Senate President Mike Pence will preside over the vote counting session on January 6, 2021.
According to the constitutional norms and the Electoral Vote Counting Act of 1887, this process could be intercepted in parliament, if a congressman and a senator jointly presented documents to oppose the counting. of a state.
Representative Mo Brooks spoke in Huntsville, Alabama, in May 2017. Image: AP.
No Republican senator has publicly said they would support Brooks’s last-minute push, although some allies are close to President Donald Trump, including Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson and Upper. Kentucky Congressman Rand Paul was open to the matter. Even with senators participating in this “uprising,” constitutional scholars say that challenging the election results in parliament will be extremely difficult.
The counting of electoral votes will stop if there is a written objection from the parliamentarians of both houses. Members of the upper house and lower house then returned to meet in two separate rooms on opposite sides of the building, discussing the petition for up to two hours. The lower house and upper house will vote separately to accept the motion or not.
According to the National Assembly Investigation Service, both houses must accept a written opposition to the election results; otherwise, the request will fail. Thus, Brooks’ chance of success is close to zero, as Democrats control the lower house.
In the history of American elections since 1887, only two objections were filed, one in 1969, due to disobedience by a voter, and once in 2005, due to voting irregularities. in Ohio. Both attempts were unsuccessful.
Several Republican senators, including Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, have vehemently rejected the intention to overturn the election results. His votes, along with support for Biden from Democrats, are enough for the president-elect to continue firmly in the upper house.
“The January 6 meeting will help confirm that no matter how many protest documents are filed and who promotes them, the outcome of the process cannot be affected. We are at our sole discretion. Believe it,” said Edward Foley, professor of constitutional law. at Ohio State University.
However, he noted that the vote-counting session could still have consequences for years to come. Although only one Republican senator supported Brooks’ efforts, the partisan conflict that dominated this year’s election is expected to continue to challenge Biden’s presidency.
If that doesn’t happen, Republicans seem to be sending the message that despite pressure from Trump, they still trust the election results and are willing to acknowledge Biden as a legitimate winner. Many Republicans are believed to fear being rejected by voters if they don’t fight because Trump arrives.
According to NY Times commentators Nicholas Fandos and Michael Schmidt, the dilemma is particularly uncomfortable for Vice President Pence, who is expected to run for president in 2024.
As president of the Senate, Pence is constitutionally mandated to open and count envelopes sent from 50 states, and then declare the results of voters’ votes. The question is how he will balance his obligations and his loyalty to Trump as he reflects on his own political future.
“People have never paid attention or thought to the role of the vice president in the transition of power. However, with Donald Trump, now you have to consider all the possibilities,” said Gregory Craig, Home’s adviser. White under former President Barack Obama, he said.
Since the election, Pence has been sending chaotic messages about how far he’s willing to go to help Trump. In the early days of the transition, he avoided defending accusations of electoral fraud at the request of those loyal to the president. However, Pence recently publicly praised Texas’ lawsuit before the United States Supreme Court, which ultimately failed.
Democrats expressed confidence that Biden would enter the White House smoothly, but his transition team has begun reaching out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with the goal of preparing for a scenario in which one or more senators sign a petition against the election results and present it on January 6.
Senator Brooks is trying to gain support, meeting with senators last week. “My number one goal is to fix the electoral system that has many critical flaws, facilitating electoral fraud and election theft,” he said.
“The possible achievement of meeting that goal is for Donald Trump to win the electoral votes. I think that’s the reality, if only the valid votes of eligible US citizens are counted. votes, while removing all illegal votes, “added Brooks.
It’s unclear how big of an alliance Brooks can build. Several Republicans, including Senator Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Matt Gaetz of Florida, also hinted that they might support the objection. But prominent Trump allies, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy or Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, have yet to speak.
“All eyes are on January 6. I think there will be some debate and discussion in parliament in the process of confirming the electoral votes. In our opinion, there is still evidence to consider.” “Senator Gaetz said on 11/12.
Gloss (According to the The Times of New York City)
