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At least half of the eight GOP senators who voted against President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory will attend the inauguration Wednesday in Washington to support the peaceful transfer of power, Fox News has learned.
Sen. Ted Cruz, of R-Texas, who led the Jan. 6 effort to reject electoral votes for Biden, will attend the official swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill. The senses. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., And Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Who joined with Cruz in opposing Biden’s victory ahead of a joint session of Congress, will also attend Biden’s inauguration, confirmed their offices.
In this July 14 photo, Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville speaks at a campaign event in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo / Butch Dill, file)
And Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Who voted to reject Biden voters in Pennsylvania state, will also be running on Wednesday. Scott even urged President Trump last week to attend, but Trump refused.
“I intend to attend and I believe it is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world,” Scott said last week.
Along with Cruz, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Led the effort to oppose Biden’s constituency votes, even after a deadly riot on Capitol Hill interrupted the vote count. Cruz and Hawley both drew a lot of heat for peeling the base over the lengthy challenges that fueled the Capitol Riot.
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It was not clear whether Hawley would attend the inauguration as his office did not respond to requests for comment.
The other three Senators who voted against Biden’s victory in at least one state were Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Senator John Kennedy, R-La., And Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. Their offices did not respond to questions from Fox News about whether they will attend the swearing-in on Wednesday of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Senators who opposed said they represented the concerns of their constituents who deeply doubted that electoral processes in other states were not fair and secure. Trump fueled mistrust of the election results by refusing to give in, claiming he won the election in a landslide and spreading allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
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Other Senators who initially raised concerns about the validity of the election with Cruz and demanded an emergency 10-day results audit will also attend the inauguration, including the senses. Marha Blackburn, R- Tenn., Steve Daines, R-Mont., And James Lankford, R-Okla. The trio initially said they intended to oppose the Electoral College certification, but eventually joined with the majority of their GOP colleagues in approving the results after the riot.
Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., Will attend Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, as he did in 2013 and 2017.
(Reuters / Joshua Roberts)
All state election officials have defended the integrity of their certified results, and dozens of courts have dismissed Trump’s lawsuits challenging the election. Federal officials, including outgoing Attorney General William Barr, have dismissed Trump’s allegations of widespread fraud.
Wednesday’s opening will be unlike any other in history. Ceremonies are reduced due to the raging coronavirus pandemic. The military presence in Washington is huge after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan.6 in an attempt to stop Biden’s certification of victory.
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Trump, who was impeached by the House on Wednesday for his role in inciting the riot, refused to admit defeat and will leave for his resort town of Mar-a-lago in Florida on the morning of January 20 to avoid the inauguration all together. He didn’t speak to Biden to concede. Vice President Mike Pence, however, will be in attendance.
Members of the National Guard patrol the Capitol Hill on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 14 (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)
Members of Congress have boycotted inaugurations in the past for political reasons. Notably, around 70 Democrats refused to attend Trump’s inauguration four years ago after tweeting derogatory comments about the late civil rights icon, John Lewis, D-Ga., Who announced he was not would not participate. Dozens of Democrats have said they will boycott Trump’s swearing-in to stand alongside Lewis, who does not see Trump as a “legitimate president.”
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On the House side, GOP chief Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, said he would attend Biden’s inauguration. McCarthy was one of 138 House Republicans who voted to reject Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, even after the riot. North Carolina first-year representative Madison Cawthron, who also opposed the Pennsylvania vote, also plans to attend on Wednesday, her office said.
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But others who voted against Biden’s election victory intend to stay at home, including Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
“There are extreme security concerns,” Greene said. “20,000 National Guardsmen have been brought in for a virtual inauguration.”
It’s unclear whether some of Trump’s staunchest allies in the House will be in attendance. The spokespersons of the representatives. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Mike Kelly, R-Pa., And Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Did not respond to Fox News’ requests of comments.
Given increased security, threats to members of Congress, and new coronavirus precautions, some lawmakers who otherwise would have attended will remain at home.
Representative Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, will not attend Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
(Fox News screenshot)
First-year Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, will not be attending because she has already had to call off district events this week due to the impromptu impeachment vote Democrats have called. Van Duyne voted against Biden’s electoral college victory in Pennsylvania.
“On Thursday, the inaugural committee added new COVID testing requirements that would require the congressman to be in DC two days earlier than scheduled for the inauguration,” Van Duyne spokeswoman Amanda Thompson said. “Because the majority called last-minute impeachment hearings this week, we were forced to postpone many engagements in the district until next week. As a result, the MP regrets not being able to attend the inauguration in due to commitments in the district. “
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Representative Nancy Mace, RS.C., who has refused to join her fellow Republicans over the Electoral College’s objections, will also stay at home due to continuing security threats.
“She is not present for security reasons,” spokeswoman Natalie Johnson said. “She has received several threats, so we are keeping her in Charleston for safety.”
Each member of the House and Senate will receive a ticket and a guest ticket for the inauguration.
Even some Democrats are expressing reservations about attending given threats to members of Congress and concerns about any latest attempt by Trump supporters to disrupt the launch of the ceremony.
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Listens to a voter in Wixom, Michigan, Thursday, August 15, 2019 (AP Photo / Paul Sancya)
Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Decided not to bring her 15-year-old son to the inauguration for security reasons and will host a virtual celebration instead.
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“I just have tears in my eyes as I think of Kamala Harris becoming vice president and being there at this historic moment,” Tlaib told the Detroit News.
“But I don’t feel comfortable. I hope that new President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Harris will be protected and that it will be okay. I know that we will all be safe at home and able to ‘experience it. But not in person. “
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