President-elect Joe Biden’s new chief of staff, Ron Klain, scoffed at Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler on Wednesday morning, while vote counting was still underway in Georgia’s second round, for announcing her plan to challenge certification of Biden’s victory in the November presidential election.
A joint Congressional session to certify the result of the Electoral College is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, just a day after the expected US Senate disputes pitted Loeffler against Democrat Raphael Warnock, and Senator David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff . The results in Georgia will determine which party will control the Senate in the new Congress.
“Spitting here, but it could be that telling voters that you intend to ignore the verdict and annul the votes in the November elections was NOT a big final argument for @KLoeffler,” tweeted Klain, before the disputes started.
Klain’s tweet came after Fox News first reported that Loeffler, who faced Warnock during Tuesday’s election, would object to certifying Biden’s victory in the presidential election results during a joint session of Congress on Wednesday market.
LOEFFLER TO OBJECT TO ELECTORAL CERTIFICATION IN AT LEAST ONE STATE
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News that Loeffler planned to oppose the results of Georgia’s presidential election.
“Elections are the foundation of our democracy and the American people deserve to be 100% confident in our electoral systems and their results. But now, tens of millions of Americans have real concerns about how the November presidential election was conducted – and I share your concerns, “said Loeffler in a statement to Fox News on Monday.
“The American people deserve a platform in Congress, allowed by the Constitution, for electoral issues to be presented so they can be addressed,” continued Loeffler. “That is why, on January 6, I will vote to give President Trump and the American people the fair hearing they deserve and support the objection to the Electoral College certification process.”
Loeffler added that she “has already introduced legislation to establish a commission to investigate electoral irregularities and recommend electoral integrity measures.
“We must restore confidence and integrity in our electoral system,” said Loeffler.
Warnock and Loeffler were the top two in their special Senate election on November 3, leading to Tuesday’s runoff. Loeffler took office on January 6, 2020, after being appointed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to fill the remainder of Senator Johnny Isakson’s term after Isakson retired for health reasons.
More than a dozen other Senate Republicans said they would also object to the Electoral College’s certification on Wednesday.
But Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Senator John Thune, John Cornyn, Tim Scott, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, among others, said they would vote to certify Biden’s victory.
On the House side, more than 100 Republican members said they would object to the certification of voters from Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, President Trump said on Tuesday that he and Vice President Mike Pence were “in total agreement” that Pence “has the power to act” and block certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election on Wednesday .
Trump went on to say that Pence has “several options under the United States Constitution”.
TRUMP PUTS PRESSURE INTO PENCE BEFORE THE ELECTION SHOWN AT THE CONGRESS
“He can cancel the certification of the results or send them back to the states for change and certification,” said Trump. “He can also cancel the certification of illegal and corrupt results and send them to the Chamber of Deputies by a vote for a statewide tabulation.”
A Pence spokesman declined to comment.
Pence will chair the joint session on Wednesday, but is expected to play a mainly ceremonial role.
On Tuesday morning, the president insisted that Pence had the power to reverse election results.
“The vice president has the power to reject fraudulently chosen voters,” the president tweeted on Tuesday morning.
And Monday night, at a rally on the eve of the election in Georgia for the two Republican senators who are running in the United States Senate’s runoff twins, Trump told the large crowd of supporters, “I hope Mike Pence will show up for us, I have to tell you. “
“I hope our great vice president – our great vice president, will show up for us. He’s a great guy. Of course, if he doesn’t speak up, I won’t like him that much,” emphasized Trump.
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But White House officials told Fox News on Tuesday that Pence “will follow the law”, saying that Pence is “taking a very diligent and studious approach to his work tomorrow”.
“He consulted extensively with staff. He has passed the Electoral Counting Law several times,” said an official. “He read legal opinions, met with the Senate parliamentarian and consulted outside experts on the matter.”
But these officials add that “the vice president will follow the law. He will act tomorrow with allegiance to the law and the constitution”.