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Senses Ted Cruz, R-Texas, right, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Witness the Senate Judiciary Committee’s markup on judicial appointments and the online content policy modernization act, in the Dirksen building on Thursday, December 10, 2020.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Appeal, Inc. | Getty Images
Seven Democratic senators filed a formal complaint Thursday, urging the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate GOP Sens efforts.
The complaint comes more than two weeks after the deadly Jan.6 insurgency on Capitol Hill led by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
“Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley legitimized President Trump’s false claims about voter fraud by announcing that they would oppose voter certification on January 6,” the senators wrote in a letter to Committee leaders. Senate ethics Chris Coons, D-Del., and James Lankford, R-Okla.
Cruz, a Republican from Texas, signed a written objection to Arizona’s certification of votes early in the joint session to count electoral votes on Jan.6, which sparked debate in both chambers. Then pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and lawmakers were evacuated.
After the Capitol was secured and the session resumed by lawmakers, Cruz and Hawley along with other Senate Republicans voted against the Arizona Electoral College results, even as others who had planned to s ‘oppose it decided to vote for certification following the deadly attack.
Hawley, of Missouri, also continued his previously announced plan to sign a written objection to Pennsylvania electoral votes. Cruz and Hawley voted against accepting the Pennsylvania election results.
“By pursuing their objections to voters after the violent attack, Senators Cruz and Hawley gave legitimacy to the mob cause and made future violence more likely,” the senators said in the letter.
The letter is signed by the senses. Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, Ron Wyden from Oregon, Tina Smith from Minnesota, Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, Tim Kaine from Virginia and Sherrod Brown from Ohio.
In the letter, the senators ask Coons and Lankford to investigate whether Cruz and Hawley’s actions constitute “inappropriate conduct” or otherwise violate the Senate code of ethics.
Hawley, in a statement released Thursday in response to the complaint, said: “Joe Biden and Democrats talk about unity but brazenly try to silence dissent. This latest effort is a blatant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a blatant attempt at partisan revenge. “
The Cruz, Coons and Lankford offices did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
In the wake of the Capitol Uprising, Cruz and Hawley issued statements condemning the violence.
“The attack on the Capitol was a despicable act of terrorism and a shocking attack on our democratic system,” Cruz said in a press release on January 7.
“These acts of violence were criminal. They must be condemned,” Hawley said in a Jan.8 statement.
Hawley was criticized after he was seen waving to protesters outside the Capitol with a raised fist before the start of the joint session. Publisher Simon & Schuster announced on January 7 that it would no longer publish Hawley’s next book, although the senator has since found a new publisher.
Trump is facing a second Senate impeachment trial, even though he is now removed from office. The Democratic-controlled House impeached Trump on Jan. 13 for inciting the insurgency on Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers have also called for further investigations into the riot. On January 16, the Democratic-led House sent a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray and other agency chiefs seeking information about the intelligence and security failures that led to the Capitol breach. . House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., on Thursday asked Wray to look into the role social media site Speak played in the attack.
Five people lost their lives as a result of the insurgency, including a Capitol police officer.
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