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WASHINGTON (AP) – Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Said Wednesday he would raise objections next week when Congress meets to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory during the election, forcing votes from the House and Senate which are likely to delay – but in no way alter – the final certification of Biden’s victory.
President Donald Trump has, without evidence, claimed that there was widespread fraud in the election. He urged Republican senators to pursue his unsubstantiated accusations, even as the electorate this month cemented Biden’s 306-232 victory and multiple legal efforts to challenge the results failed.
A group of republicans in the Democratic-majority House have previously said they will oppose on Trump’s behalf during the Jan.6 electoral count, and that they only needed one senator to accompany them to force the votes in both chambers.
Without giving details or evidence, Hawley said he would oppose because “some states, including Pennsylvania in particular” did not follow their own election laws. Lawsuits contesting Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania have failed.
“At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of electoral fraud and take steps to ensure the integrity of our election,” Hawley said in a statement. He also criticized the way Facebook and Twitter handled election-related content, calling it an effort to help Biden.
Biden’s transition spokeswoman Jen Psaki called Hawley’s move “antics” that won’t affect Biden’s swearing-in on January 20.
“The American people have spoken resoundingly in this election and 81 million people voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Psaki said on a call to reporters. She added, “Congress will certify election results as they do every four years.”
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows praised Hawley on Twitter for “shamelessly defending electoral integrity.”
When Congress meets to certify the Electoral College’s results, any lawmaker can oppose a state’s votes for any reason. But the objection is only accepted if it is formulated in writing and signed by both a member of the House and a member of the Senate.
When there is such a request, the joint session is suspended and the House and Senate hold separate sessions to consider it. For the objection to be upheld, both chambers must accept it by a simple majority vote. If they do not agree, the original electoral votes are counted.
The last time such an objection was considered was in 2005, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Senator Barbara Boxer of California, both Democrats, opposed the Ohio electoral votes. by claiming that there were voting irregularities. Both chambers debated the objection and rejected it. It was only the second time that such a vote had taken place.
As Speaker of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence will chair the January 6 session and declare the winner.
Asked about Hawley’s announcement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said: “I have no doubt that next Wednesday, a week from today, Joe Biden will be confirmed by the acceptance of the Electoral College vote as the 46th President of the United States. “
Hawley is a first-term senator and a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential primary, and his decision to join House objectors is a rebuttal by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had asked his caucus not to not participate. in a vain quest to reverse the results.
Aware that the Democratic-led House would not support such a challenge and that it would put most of his fellow GOP senators in a bind, McConnell told them in a private call on December 15 that it would be a “terrible vote. To have to take. This is according to two people who were not authorized to discuss the private call publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
While some Republicans have echoed Trump’s unsubstantiated claims, or at least refused to counter them, McConnell and a growing number of GOP senators have acknowledged that Biden won and will be inaugurated on January 20.
Senate Republican No. 2, South Dakota Senator John Thune, said earlier this month that if the Senate was forced to vote on a challenge, “it would fall like a hound.” Thune said it made no sense to put senators to a vote when “you know what the end result will be.”
A series of non-partisan election officials and Republicans confirmed that there was no fraud in the November contest that would alter election results. This includes former Attorney General William Barr, who said he saw no reason to appoint a special advocate to review the president’s claims about the 2020 election. He then resigned his post last week.
Trump and his allies have filed around 50 lawsuits challenging the election results, and nearly all of them have been dismissed or dropped. He also lost twice in the Supreme Court.
The House Republicans group has announced plans to challenge election results in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada. All of them are states that Biden wore.
Alabama Representative Mo Brooks, one of the Republicans leading the effort, raised questions about how the national election went. Some states have changed ballots and procedures during the pandemic. While the new procedures may have led to confusion in some places, state and federal officials said there was no credible evidence of widespread fraud.
In addition to having to officially vote, Republicans are worried about the negative effects on the second round of the Senate in Georgia on Tuesday. GOP Senses David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler take on Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in a state that rocked in November for Biden.
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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Chicago contributed to this report.
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