An effort by President TrumpDonald TrumpCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote countTrump to give Nunes Medal of Freedom: reports Hogan says lawmakers’ ‘scheme’ to overturn election results ‘makes a mockery of our system’MORE and his allies in Congress to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election is tearing apart the Republican Party in a messy fight a few days before two critical special elections in Georgia that will determine the Senate majority in 2021.
Adding to the spectacle, The Washington Post on Sunday obtained a recording of an extraordinary hour-long conversation between Trump and Brad Raffensperger, Georgias secretary of state, in which the president pressured the state official to find 11,780 votes in order to make him the winner of Georgias electoral votes instead of Biden. Â
The published details of the recorded conversation heightened the sense of alarm among some Republican senators that Trump and his allies are trampling on the nations tradition of orderly post-election transitions of power.
One of the strongest statements Sunday came from former Speaker Paul RyanPaul Davis RyanEx-GOP Speaker Ryan denounces effort to challenge Electoral College results’Trumpification’ of the GOP will persistTrump’s political future depends on whether he can changeMORE (R-Wis.) who warned against lawmakers voting to overturn the votes of any state Â
Under our system, voters determine the president, and this self-governance cannot sustain itself if the whims of Congress replace the will of the people, he warned.
He said efforts to reject the vote of the Electoral College and sow doubt about Bidens victory would strike at the foundation of our republic.
It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans, he said.
A number of House Republicans will ignore Ryans counsel, including his former lieutenant, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyKevin Owen McCarthyCori Bush shares picture of expanded ‘Squad’McCarthy says he supports effort to challenge Electoral College resultsFive centrist Democrats oppose Pelosi for Speaker in tight voteMORE (R-Calif.), who met with conservatives in the House on Sunday and offered his backing.
Two Republican lawmakers told CNN they expect at least 140 House Republicans to vote against the counting of several states electoral votes on Wednesday.
Senate Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz CheneyElizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyMcCarthy says he supports effort to challenge Electoral College results’Trumpification’ of the GOP will persistLIVE COVERAGE: House votes to name SpeakerMORE (R-Wyo.) has so far been the most outspoken top-ranking House Republican leader in opposing the challenge to the Electoral College by urging Trump to respect the sanctity of our electoral process.
Cheney circulated a memo to House GOP colleagues Sunday warning against an effort to set up a special commission to audit the election results.
By objecting to electoral slates, members are unavoidably asserting that Congress has the authority to overturn elections and overrule state and federal courts, the memo stated. Such objections set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the president and bestowing it instead on Congress.
Senate GOP leaders have also been decidedly cool to the effort, urging their colleagues not to support it.
Theres growing anxiety among GOP lawmakers about whether the election fight could hurt Sens. David PerdueDavid PerdueTrump, Biden face new head-to-head contest in GeorgiaHarris: Trump Georgia phone call shows a ‘voice of desperation’Senate swears-in six new lawmakers as 117th Congress convenesMORE (R-Ga.) and Kelly LoefflerKelly LoefflerTrump, Biden face new head-to-head contest in GeorgiaHarris: Trump Georgia phone call shows a ‘voice of desperation’Senate swears-in six new lawmakers as 117th Congress convenesMORE (R-Ga.), who face runoff elections on Tuesday.
The president thinks the idea of getting a lump in your throat about the orderly transition of power is quaint and hes trampling on that, said one Republican senator of Trumps persistent efforts to overturn the election results in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The lawmaker, who requested anonymity to frankly discuss the effort, was being driven by unprincipled ambition.
Theyre making us look like Afghanistan, said the senator.
The GOP lawmaker expressed surprise, however, that colleagues such as Sen. Steve DainesSteven (Steve) David DainesGraham: Electoral College challenge ‘a political dodge’Senate Democrats rebuke GOP colleagues who say they’ll oppose Electoral College results11 Senate Republicans say they will oppose Electoral College results WednesdayMORE (R-Mont.) and James LankfordJames Paul LankfordGeorge Conway calls Meadows a ‘moron’ and a ‘disgrace’Senate Democrats rebuke GOP colleagues who say they’ll oppose Electoral College results11 Senate Republicans say they will oppose Electoral College results WednesdayMORE (R-Okla.), who are not known for courting media buzz by challenging GOP leaders, had signed onto Sen. Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote countGOP senators face criticism in wake of challenges to Electoral College voteBipartisan group of senators: The election is overMOREs (R-Texas) plan to postpone the counting of the electoral vote during a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress.
Sen. Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote countMcCarthy says he supports effort to challenge Electoral College resultsGOP senators face criticism in wake of challenges to Electoral College voteMORE (R-Mo.), who like Cruz is seen as a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, was the first Republican senator to say he would sign onto a House objection to the electoral tally. He did not sign onto the letter that Cruz made public Saturday demanding a new audit of the Nov. 3 election results.
On the other side of the internal fight are Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote countMcCarthy says he supports effort to challenge Electoral College resultsSenate swears-in six new lawmakers as 117th Congress convenesMORE (R-Ky.), Senate Majority Whip John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote countSenate Democrats rebuke GOP colleagues who say they’ll oppose Electoral College results11 Senate Republicans say they will oppose Electoral College results WednesdayMORE (R-S.D.) and Sen. John CornynJohn CornynFrustrations flare as ,000 checks blocked for fourth straight dayCongress overrides Trump veto for the first timeHawley jams GOP with Electoral College fightMORE (R-Texas), who have argued privately to colleagues and publicly to the media for weeks that challenging the results of the election on the House floor Wednesday would be a political mistake.
McConnell warned Senate Republican colleagues during a Dec. 15 conference call that objecting to the vote results in Arizona, Georgia and other states would put colleagues up for re-election in 2022 in a bad spot.
Already Trump has threatened to back a 2022 primary challenge against Thune, who has led the effort to persuade Republican senators not to vote to uphold objections.
Several Republican senators have assured Thune privately that they will support the leadership next week, in addition to a growing number of GOP lawmakers who are expressing public opposition to any challenge of the electoral vote tally.
Republican senators, however, say they are already getting calls from angry constituents pressing them to support objections to the electoral votes of several key states, even though Trump and his legal team has failed to show any compelling evidence of widespread fraud and dozens of their legal challenges have failed in court.
McConnell on Sunday, who was in the Capitol for the swearing-in of senators elected in November, declined to comment on the growing war within his party.
Well be dealing with all that on Wednesday, he said.
Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamCotton breaks with conservative colleagues who will oppose electoral vote countPelosi sets up call on election challenge: ‘No situation matches Trump presidency’GOP senators face criticism in wake of challenges to Electoral College voteMORE (R-S.C.), one of Trumps closest allies on Capitol Hill, on Sunday dismissed Cruzs call for the appointment of a commission to conduct a 10-day emergency audit of the Nov. 3 election results as a political dodge that had zero chance of becoming reality.
Proposing a commission at this late date which has zero chance of becoming reality is not effectively fighting for President Trump. It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy, he said.
Sen. Kevin CramerKevin John CramerCongress overrides Trump veto for the first timeHawley jams GOP with Electoral College fightHouse Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen tests positive for COVID-19MORE (R-N.D.), another of Trumps staunch allies, on Sunday said I dont anticipate objecting to anything but he left himself some wiggle room, saying he would listen to the discussions.
Asked about a recorded phone call in which Trump asked the Georgia election official to find more Trump votes, Cramer said, the secretary of states job isnt to calculate one plus one equals three.
Other Senate Republicans on Sunday said they would oppose objections raised by Cruz, Hawley and others questioning the results of the electoral tally.
The administration has filed dozens of lawsuits, none of which have found that there was compelling evidence to support a finding of voter fraud such that it would have made a difference in the outcome of the election, Sen. Susan CollinsSusan Margaret CollinsBipartisan group of senators: The election is overToomey, Murkowski to oppose GOP effort to challenge election resultsEx-GOP senator suggests forming new party, calls Trump ‘ringmaster’ of RepublicansMORE (R-Maine) told reporters after she was sworn in to serve her fifth term.
From my perspective the election is over, the courts have spoken, the administration was given every opportunity to pursue its legal remedies, and it’s time for us to move on, she said.
Collins said colleagues should put their energy into focusing in the policy challenges that lie ahead once Biden becomes president.
I just think it’s important that we all start acknowledging reality and working together to solve the enormous problems that our country faces, she said.
Earlier in the day, a bipartisan group of senators including Collins, Sens. Bill CassidyBill CassidyBipartisan group of senators: The election is overInsurers lose multiyear lobbying fight over surprise medical billsLouisiana Rep.-elect Luke Letlow dies of COVID-19MORE (R-La.), Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann MurkowskiBipartisan group of senators: The election is overGraham: Electoral College challenge ‘a political dodge’Romney: Plan to challenge election ‘egregious ploy’ that ‘dangerously threatens’ countryMORE (R-Alaska), and Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyEx-GOP Speaker Ryan denounces effort to challenge Electoral College resultsPelosi sets up call on election challenge: ‘No situation matches Trump presidency’GOP senators face criticism in wake of challenges to Electoral College voteMORE (R-Utah) released a joint statement declaring the 2020 election over.
At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans confidence in the already determined election results, they said. The voters have spoken, and Congress must now fulfill its responsibility to certify the election results.
