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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the certification of the upcoming electoral vote “the most consistent vote” during a call with senators this week, according to Senator Mitt Romney, who was on the call . Congress will meet on January 6 to count the electoral votes of each state and reaffirm the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
The tally offers Republican lawmakers who have yet to recognize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory with a final attempt to overturn the presidential election results. Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri on Wednesday announced his intention to oppose certification.
Asked about his interpretation of McConnell’s comments, Romney told reporters on Friday, “I see that as a statement that he thinks it’s a – it’s a referendum on our democracy.”
Joint session of Congress is required by law to ratify presidential results, but also allows members “to oppose returns from any state as they are announced,” according to Congressional Research Service (CRS). Lawmakers may oppose the results – even if it’s not their home state – leaving the door open for officials who back Mr. Trump’s unproven claims of widespread electoral fraud to interrupt the generally ceremonial process.
Hawley is the only Republican senator to pledge to challenge electoral votes, although several Conservative members of the House have pledged to do so. President Trump has suggested Congress intervene, in the distant hope of giving him a second term after previous efforts to challenge election results failed.
The Missouri Republican said in a statement that he “cannot vote to certify the results of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 without mentioning that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, did not follow their own election laws. ” He added that he “cannot vote to certify without highlighting the unprecedented effort of mega-companies, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden.”
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and take steps to ensure the integrity of our election. But so far, Congress has failed to act,” Hawley said.
Objections must be signed by both a member of the House and the Senate. If this is achieved, the two chambers separate to debate and vote to accept or reject the objection. The House, however, is controlled by the Democrats, albeit by a narrower margin, so even if the GOP-controlled Senate were to reject a state, there is essentially no chance the House will.
McConnell last month asked Republican senators not to oppose the convening of the joint session. Other GOP senators, including those close to Mr. Trump, have suggested such a move would be unsuccessful.
While Hawley’s effort is unlikely to succeed, Romney called him “dangerous to democracy at home and abroad” because he “continues to spread the false rumor that the election has been stolen. “.
“Look, I lost in 2012, I know what it’s like to lose,” said Romney, who ran for president in 2012. “And there were people who said he There were irregularities. I have people today who say “hey you know what you I really won” – but I didn’t, I just lost. Of course, there have always been irregularities, but spreading this kind of rumor that our electoral system is not working is dangerous for democracy at home and abroad.
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