MO. SENATOR TO CONTEST ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE
McConnell and other top Republicans had urged against move
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., announced Wednesday that he will object next week when Congress convenes to certify the Electoral College vote, a move that will force a contentious floor debate that top Senate Republicans had hoped to avoid, before President-elect Joe Biden’s victory is cemented.
Congress will gather next week in a joint session, where
Vice President Mike Pence as the presiding officer will read aloud the results of this month’s Electoral College vote confirming Biden won the November election.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly and falsely suggested that the ceremonial milestone offered a lastditch way to reverse the election results.
By law, if any member of the House joined by a Senator objects to the Electoral College slates, both chambers must debate and then vote on the contest. But the challenge is expected to fail because Democrats hold a majority in the House — plus a number of Senate Republicans have also recognized Biden’s win.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other leading Republicans had discouraged their members from challenging the process, conceding the move would ultimately fail but force their members to take an awkward vote.
But a series of House Republicans had said they planned to object to the vote and, in a statement, Hawley said he would sign on as well, as a way to highlight purported election irregularities.
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act,” Hawley said.
More than 90 federal and state judges have now rejected challenges to the November vote, including finding allegations of fraud to be meritless.
Many Republicans have argued that it would be politically harmful to force their members to decide whether to back Trump out of loyalty in a vote bound to fail and appear to be bucking the will of the voters. McConnell counseled against the move earlier this month.
Trump has been clear about what he wants from Republicans, summoning his supporters to protest in Washington next week. “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!” he tweeted Wednesday.
Votes could be particularly difficult for GOP senators up for a re-election in 2022 who believe the 2020 election was conducted fairly. If they break with Trump, they risk facing a primary challenger who could question their loyalty to the outgoing president.
But supporting the challenge means endorsing the disenfranchisement of millions of voters in swing states who voted for Biden.
A Biden spokeswoman dismissed the significance of Hawley’s plans, saying that “the American people spoke resoundingly in this election” and that the role of Congress is “merely a formality.”
“It certainly should be treated as such,” political adviser Jen Psaki said. “Regardless of whatever antics anyone is up to on January 6, President-elect Biden will be sworn in on the 20th.”