GOP Sens. Pat Toomey
Patrick (Pat) Joseph Toomey Government Used Patriot Act To Collect Website Visitor Logs In 2019 Appeals Court Rules NSA’s Bulk Phone Data Collection Illegal Dunford Withdraws From Consideration To Chair Coronavirus Monitoring Panel MORE (Pa.) And Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski Bipartisan lawmakers are urging Trump to sign or veto the bill for coronavirus relief. Two-chamber group urges Trump to sign COVID-19 aid package. (Alaska) said Saturday they will oppose attempts by at least a dozen of their Republican colleagues to challenge the president-elect Joe Biden
Joe Biden Trump calls Georgia Senate runoffs ‘both illegal and invalid’ in New Year’s tweets Judge Dismisses Gohmert’s Election Case Against Pence Ex-GOP Senator Proposes Forming New Party, Calls Trump ‘Ringmaster’ of Republicans MOREElectoral College wins next week.
Murkowski reaffirmed in a statement on Saturday that she would support the results of the 2020 election at a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.
“I will vote to confirm the 2020 presidential election. The courts and state legislatures have all fulfilled their duty to hear legal allegations and have found nothing to justify the results being reversed. I urge my colleagues from both parties to recognize this and to join me. to maintain confidence in the electoral college and our elections, “said Murkowski.
Toomey said the “evidence is overwhelming that Joe Biden won this election.”
The GOP senator also sharply criticized some of his GOP colleagues for challenging the election results next Wednesday.
“A fundamental characteristic of a democratic republic is the right of the people to choose their own leaders. The efforts of Senators Hawley, Cruz and others to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election in swing-states like Pennsylvania directly undermine this right, “Toomey said in a statement.
Toomey’s home state of Pennsylvania and other battlefields faced legal battles President Trump
Donald Trump Trump calls Georgia Senate runoffs ‘both illegal and invalid’ in New Year’s tweets Judge Dismisses Gohmert’s Election Case Against Pence Ex-GOP Senator Proposes Forming New Party, Calls Trump ‘Ringmaster’ of Republicans MORE and his allies to challenge the results of the election. Biden won Keystone State over Trump in November with more than 1 percent of the vote.
The senators justify their intentions by noting that there have been many allegations of fraud. But allegations of fraud from a losing campaign cannot justify the reversal of an election. They do not acknowledge that these allegations have been tried in courtrooms across America and have not been found to be supported by any evidence, ”Toomey added.
Eleven Republicans, led by Sen. Ted Cruz
Rafael (Ted) Edward Cruz Congress for the first time overrules Trump’s veto on Hawley blocks GOP with Electoral College fights Hawley to challenge Electoral College results in Senate MORE (R-Texas) announced on Saturday that they would support the challenges of Electoral College results unless there was a 10-day audit.
Her. Josh Hawley
Joshua (Josh) David Hawley Ex-GOP Senator Proposes Forming New Party, Calls Trump Republicans’ Ringmaster Georgia Keeps Senate Agenda in Uncertain Frustrations Flare Up As 1,000 Checks Blocked For the fourth consecutive day MORE (R-Mo.) Had previously announced that he would object on Wednesday.
Trump, who has backed efforts to challenge the election results in Congress, has claimed the election was tainted by widespread voter fraud. The 11 senators said in their joint statement that the 2020 elections included “unprecedented allegations of voter fraud.”
Attempts by Trump’s legal team to challenge the results in key states have been rejected by the courts, and election experts have dismissed claims of widespread voter fraud.
If a notice of objection is supported by a member of the House and a member of the Senate, the two chambers separate and debate for a maximum of two hours. Both the House and Senate would then vote on whether or not to uphold the objection, which would require a majority in both houses to be successful.
Toomey, who spoke out against Hawley’s plan earlier this week during a GOP phone call, added in his statement that on Wednesday he would “vigorously defend our form of government by opposing this attempt to give millions of voters in my state and others the right to vote. to deprive “.
Wednesday’s objections will fail as Democrats control the House and several GOP senators have said they will oppose the objections next week.
But Wednesday is only the third time since 1887 that Congress has had to debate and vote on an objection. Attempts to change the results in 1969 and 2005 were also unsuccessful.
Murkowski and Toomey’s statement is the latest sign of public pushback from Senate Republicans amid deep frustration in the caucus over Hawley and others’ decision to challenge the election results.
To force a debate and vote, house conservatives needed the support of at least one senator, something they didn’t have before Hawley’s announcement on Wednesday.
Her. Ben Sasse
Ben Sasse GOP legislator criticizes Trump, colleagues for ‘trying to discredit’ election Hawley blocks GOP with Electoral College fight GOP senator criticizes ‘ambitious politicians’ for ‘dangerous’ Electoral College trick MORE (R-Neb.), In an open letter to voters, accused lawmakers of trying to win over the president’s supporters, adding, “Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.”
Her. Mitt Romney
Willard (Mitt) Mitt Romney Ex-GOP Senator Proposes Forming New Party, Calls Trump ‘Ringmaster’ of Republicans Romney: Lack of Comprehensive Vaccine Distribution Plan Is ‘Unforgivable’ Trump’s Push for K-stimulus Controls Dies in Senate LAKE (R-Utah) said the objection at Wednesday’s joint meeting “continues to spread the false rumor that the election was somehow stolen.” And Sen. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins Ex-GOP Senator Proposes Forming New Party, Calls Trump ‘Ringmaster’ of Republicans Hawley Jams GOP With Electoral College Fight Trump’s Push For K Stimulus Controls Dead In Senate MORE (R-Maine) wondered why Hawley went ahead with his plan.
“I wonder why he does it when the courts unanimously threw out the lawsuits filed by the president’s team for lack of credible evidence,” Collins said. “Senator Hawley is a smart attorney who worked for the Supreme Court, so he clearly understands that. So I don’t understand.”
The public infighting is a scenario that the GOP leadership hoped to avoid. Leader of the majority of the Senate Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell Georgia keeps Senate agenda in limbo Frustrations flare up as, 000 checks blocked for fourth consecutive day Graham bucks McConnell: 000 payments ‘not socialism’ MORE (R-Ky.) And other top Republicans had urged GOP senators not to object during the joint session, warning that this would only result in politically tough votes that would not change the outcome of the election.
McConnell also proclaimed one of the most important voices in his convention career on Wednesday during a separate GOP conference call. McConnell asked Hawley, as part of the conversation, to explain his point of view. The freshman senator was not on the line, but then sent an email to the caucus.
“He said it was the most consistent vote,” Romney told reporters of McConnell’s comments. “I see that as a statement he believes … it’s a referendum on our democracy.”