GOP senator from Missouri announces he will contest Electoral College vote

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., announced Wednesday 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 last-ditch 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 will inevitably 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.