Elected GOP congressman opposes Biden Win certification, says Trump won without questions

Utah Republican-elect Burgess Owens said he would join other Republicans on Jan.6 in challenging Congressional approval of the Electoral College’s final vote in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.

Owens said Salt Lake City Tribune that he believes President Donald Trump did in fact win the November election, saying: “There is no doubt in my mind that I think he won.”

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Owens said of Republican attempts to oppose the electoral vote. “Seventy percent of Conservatives say this [election] is not fair. We the people should have this opportunity to have this conversation against [just] people with black dresses. “

“Black robes” refer to judges, some of whom were appointed by Trump, who dismissed all but one of the nearly 60 cases alleging widespread electoral fraud filed by the Trump campaign and other Republican officials. Cases were closed or withdrawn due to lack of evidence.

Owens’ comment also referred to a University of Quinnipiac poll in early December which found that 77% of Republican voters believed there was widespread presidential fraud. The poll polled 978 registered voters across the country and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Owens is one of 10 new House freshmen planning to join the GOP’s challenges in electoral voting. Owens says Congress will hear evidence of widespread voter fraud that no one has heard before, although he did not give details. He also said he would accept the legitimacy of whoever will eventually be president.

Owens, a former professional Oakland Raiders football player who helped the team win the 1980 Super Bowl, is a Mormon convert who has strongly supported Trump and made repeated appearances on Fox News. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. campaigned for Owens during the election. Last November, Owens won his race against incumbent Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams at barely one percent.

The approval of Congress, which takes place on January 6, is usually a formality that officially certifies the winner of the election before the inauguration. However, this year some Republicans in Congress have promised to use the 1887 Electoral Tally Act to challenge the final Electoral College tally.

The Election Count Act would require the Senate and House to each hold a two-hour debate before voting on whether to approve the electoral count for states whose results are in dispute. The Republican challenge to the election result is unlikely to overthrow it, as a successful challenge would require majorities in both houses of Congress to vote in favor.

“In 10 years in the NFL, I’ve played a lot of losing games,” Owens told the Tribune. “If you leave everything on the pitch and have done all you can and there’s nothing left, then it’s a winning game regardless of the score.”

President-elect Joe Biden won the November election by more than 7 million votes and 74 electoral votes.

Newsweek has contacted Owen’s campaign for comment.