Trump is still grasping for straws about the election – this from The Associated Press: VP Mike Pence will preside over the joint session in Congress on January 6, 2021, and Federal law (cite Cornell Law) stipulates his role is to open and count electoral votes, not weigh in on whether they are valid or not.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics says: “There is zero chance that any such a maneuver by Pence or the Republicans will succeed if they are bold enough to try that.”
(I note: That is probably something Trump has directed Pence to do).
Key summary in all of this: A provision in the U.S. code
(cite Cornell Law link above) says: “If a state fails to deliver a
certification of vote to the Vice President (Mike Pence), or the archivist (David Ferriero) of the United States by the fourth Wednesday of
December, that person shall request that the state’s secretary of state provide
these certifications in an expeditious manner.”
NOTE: That provision does not grant VP Pence the power to reject votes that have been officially certified by state executives.
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“What
Happens if a GOP Senator Signs On to Objections to Biden's Victory?”
Republican allies of President Trump, led by Rep. “Mo”
Brooks (R-AL) have said they plan to object to the electoral votes cast in
President-elect Biden’s favor when they meet on January 6, in a final
longshot effort to overturn the election results.
Although political experts as well as Republican and
Democratic lawmakers have predicted that the effort by some GOP lawmakers will
fail, it is constitutionally possible for Congress to step in and overturn a
state's election results. Top GOP Senate leaders (i.e., Mitch McConnell (R-KY on
the Senate floor a few days ago) urge their colleagues not to sign on to any
House efforts to object to the results, but several have suggested they are
open to the idea.
Even if a Republican senator and a Republican House member
both objected to the results of the Electoral College votes, which were cast on
Monday, they would need to convince majorities in the House and Senate to agree
with their objection. Here is a closer look at how that process would play out.
Any member of the House can submit an objection to a state's
results in writing (that seems to be Brooks at this stage – see post below).
However, these objections will hold weight only if one member
of the Senate signs on. While GOP allies of Trump in the House have been more
vocal about their intention to object, some Republican senators appear to be
open to the idea of joining this effort (e.g., current Senators Loeffler and
Paul – pictured above; Paul
already has said the election was stolen and, Loeffler is a Trump
sycophant).
ORIGINAL STORY FROM HERE:
Pretty startling headlines here
from ABC News on that subject:
“How House Republicans could mount last-ditch effort to contest election results”
Trump is said to be
supportive of the efforts.
This story: Under federal law, a single member of the House
or Senate can contest the Electoral College results from any state. If that happens
it would force the House and Senate to separate for up to two hours of debate
and vote on whether to accept a slate of electors or not. Then a majority of
both chambers would have to support the motion to successfully challenge a
given slate of electors, re: the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Right now, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) is that GOP House challenger. He said on national TV: “If the
vote count was limited only to lawful votes cast by eligible American citizens,
then Donald Trump won a majority of the Electoral College votes and was
reelected to a second term.”
That is the same claim that Trump has been used yet resoundingly
rejected by both DEM and GOP experts and state party officials, and in over two
dozen court cases.
Now image Brooks along with Trump wants to upend over the election
where projections show that nearly 160 Americans voted (from
CNBC):
§
At least 159.8 million Americans voted in the
2020 presidential election.
§
That projected total marks a record high
number of ballots cast in a presidential election and the highest voter turnout
rate among eligible citizens since 1900.
§
The record voter turnout in 2020 was buoyed by
more than 100 million ballots cast during the early voting period and mail-in
voting due to the CoVID pandemic.
My 2 cents: Obviously this sort of effort by Rep. Brooks is legal and probably a lot of other Republicans will join in, but that does NOT make it the thing to do for merely showing power and lust to prove Trump is right in his rambling long before the first vote was case that the election was rigged. All proven false in dozens of courts including the USSC twice and each and every state and most Federal levels, too.
What we face under Trump and now maybe with Rep. Brooks and anyone who joins them is an ugly, nasty, raw political situation we have never ever faced on this scale in our history.
I say shame on those who still support Trump and his wild and totally unfounded and unsupported conspiracy claims. Trump likes to brag about being the first this or that for the first time in history, etc., etc., well this label now adds a totally new meaning to his bragging rights. First dictator President in American political history!!
Stay tuned – a lot of
dirty crap is still in Trump’s dirty tricks GOP playbook – believe it.
We shall see.
Related topic here from CNBC will SCOTUS get involved?
UPDATE: They ruled 9-0 against Trump in the PA challenge thus shutting all high-court doors except the one still open that Rep. Brooks and maybe a few other Republicans are willing walk through outlined above.
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