R.I. electors vote for Clinton, press for Russia probe

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island’s four members of the U.S. Electoral College cast their votes for Democrat Hillary Clinton on Monday while also sending a message to Congress and the president to launch an investigation into suspected Russian interference in the election.

The four Democratic electors announced their votes at the Rhode Island State House for Clinton, who won the state’s popular vote by more than 15 percentage points over Republican Donald Trump, who won enough other states to become president.

They also unanimously agreed to ask Congress and the president — whether Barack Obama or Presidentelect Trump — for an independent, bipartisan investigation into hostile foreign interference into the election.

“The president of the United States has confirmed that the Russian Federation engaged in a hostile intervention into the electoral process,” said elector and state Rep. Grace Diaz of Providence, who proposed the call for an investigation to loud applause.

The idea for the proposal came from another elector, former gubernatorial candidate Clay Pell, who helped lead an effort last week asking for electors to be provided with more intelligence information about Russia’s interference before electors cast their votes. Dozens of mostly Democratic electors signed on to the request, which was denied.

All 538 members of the Electoral College are meeting in their respective states Monday to formally elect Trump, a Republican, as president.

Clinton won the U.S. popular vote by about 2.6 million votes in last month’s election but Trump won enough states to collect 306 electoral votes. It takes 270 to become president.

Rhode Island’s electors were escorted just after noon Monday into the chamber of the state House of Representatives by Kentish Guards, a state militia organization founded in 1774 whose members wear colonial military attire.

Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo presided over the process after a short speech acknowledging “this isn’t exactly how we hoped to be feeling today, but it is our duty to participate in this democracy and to participate in the peaceful transfer of power.”

Protesters carrying anti-Trump signs watched from the gallery as the vote occurred, and they and others cheered loudly when votes were cast for Clinton.

The other electors were retired labor union leader and former Cranston firefighter Frank Montanaro and East Greenwich resident Susan Weiner.