Will GOP stand with truth?

Listening to President Donald Trump pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to “find” 11,780 votes for him conjures many emotions: grief, anger, fear. Surprise should not be one of them. The president’s rambling, hourlong diatribe is consistent with what he has been tweeting and, presumably, saying privately to GOP officials over the past two months. This does not make the president’s actions any less disturbing; rather, it underlines how abhorrent they have been all along — and how morally repugnant the Republicans who have enabled him. His words shred the pretense they have used to excuse their behavior. Trump’s post-election campaign is not about uncovering election fraud. It is about perpetrating fraud.

Republicans now face a fundamental choice: Will theirs be a party dedicated to democracy and truth, or opposed to democracy and truth? A crucial test will come Wednesday, when Congress gathers to officially tally electoral college votes. The president and a cadre of Trump fanatics in the House have leaned on GOP lawmakers to reject electoral votes duly cast for President-elect Joe Biden, despite zero evidence of widespread irregularities, and despite the constitutional principle that Congress does not get to override the will of the people as expressed through the electoral college.

These Republicans might tell themselves that their votes are costless; the Democratic-controlled House will uphold the election results, so the weasel caucus can dignify Trump’s lies without practical consequence. But this is not a costless vote — not for the country, nor for their consciences. These lawmakers argue that they are responding to the demands of their constituents; yet their constituents are angry because the president has lied about the election results and other GOP leaders have failed to push back.

Moreover, the next time a presidential candidate refuses to accept defeat, based on bogus fraud charges, a Congress controlled by that candidate’s party would be tempted to force through their choice instead, looking back at this moment for inspiration and validation. Some Republicans are treating this moment with the gravity it demands. We hope most other Republicans join them and reject Trump’s conspiratorial, dishonest, bullying, anti-democratic campaign.