Hawley Says He Will Object to Electoral College Certification
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Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) said Wednesday he plans to object during the Electoral College certification process when a joint session of Congress meets on January 6.
“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” Hawley said in a statement. “And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden. At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act.”
He noted that in the 2004 and 2016 elections, Congressional Democrats objected to the certification of electoral votes over election integrity concerns and were “praised by Democratic leadership and the media.”
“And they were entitled to do so,” he said. “But now those of us concerned about the integrity of this election are entitled to do the same.”
“For these reasons, I will follow the same practice Democrat members of Congress have in years past and object during the certification process on January 6 to raise these critical issues,” he concluded.
Hawley’s statement comes days after Representative Mo Brooks (R., Ala.) said Monday that “dozens” of House Republicans may object to the Electoral College results.
Brooks claimed there is “overwhelming” and “compelling” evidence of “serious voter fraud and election theft.” President-elect Joe Biden won the election with 306 electoral votes to President Trump’s 232 votes.
“There are dozens in the House of Representatives who have reached that conclusion, as I have,” Brooks said in an appearance on Fox & Friends. “We’re going to sponsor and co-sponsor objections to the Electoral College vote returns of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and maybe more depending on where we collectively want to go.”
Senate Republican leaders had cautioned their members against joining the effort. Hawley’s support will allow the objection to be heard and debated, as House members needed backing from at least one senator for the objection to be acknowledged.
