The Guardian
‘Traitors and patriots’: Republican pressure to keep Trump in power seems doomed
* Senators refuse to defend the electoral stratagem on TV * Democrats and Republican leaders to block the maneuver aimed at the party base * Trump pressured the Georgia Republican to overturn Biden’s victory All 12 Republican senators who pledged to not to ratify the results of the polling station on Wednesday and therefore refuse to confirm Joe Biden’s resounding victory over Donald Trump in the presidential election, he refused to defend his move on television, said a CNN presenter on Sunday. “Everything resembles what Ulysses S Grant once wrote in 1861,” said Jake Tapper at the State of the Union, before citing a letter the union general wrote at the beginning of a civil war he won before he became president: ‘ There is [but] two parts now: traitors and patriots. ‘”How would you describe the parties today?” Tapper asked. The attempt to overthrow Trump’s defeat looks doomed, a political play put on by big party parties eager to court supporters loyal to the president before, in some cases, putting together their own candidacies for the White House. Still, on Saturday, Ted Cruz of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin led 11 senators and senators elected in the appeal for “a 10-day emergency audit” of the results in states where the president alleges electoral fraud, despite not providing evidence and losing repeatedly in court. Senators followed Josh Hawley of Missouri – as Cruz thought he would likely run for president in 2024 – by promising to object to the polling station’s outcome. Most House Republicans are also expected to object, after staging a call on Saturday with Trump to plan their own moves. Democrats control the House and senior Senate Republicans oppose the attempt to deprive millions – many of them African Americans in undecided states – apparently guaranteeing that the attempt will fail. However, Vice President Mike Pence, who will chair the ratification, welcomed the initiative by Cruz and others. A Biden spokesman, Michael Gwin, said: “This feat will not change the fact that President-elect Biden will be sworn in on January 20, and these unfounded claims have already been examined and rejected by Trump’s own attorney general, dozens of courts and electoral officials of both parties. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican candidate now a Utah senator, said: “The blatant maneuver to reject voters may increase the political ambition of some, but it dangerously threatens our democratic republic. “… More Americans participated in this election than ever before, and they made their choice. President Trump’s lawyers have presented their case before dozens of courts; in all instances, they have failed. “… Adding to this poorly conceived effort by some in Congress is the president’s call for his supporters to come to the Capitol on the day this issue is debated and decided. This has the predictable potential to lead to disruption and worse. ”Encouraged by Trump, far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, are due to meet in Washington on Wednesday. On Sunday, Romney – and Republican colleagues Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) – was part of a bipartisan group of 10 senators who rejected attempts to overturn the election. On Saturday, Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, a battlefield state, also registered his opposition. Hawley responded by condemning “shameless personal attacks”. Georgia, where Trump refuses to accept defeat, goes to the polls in vital Senate votes on Tuesday. Stacey Abrams, a former candidate for the local government, told ABC’s This Week newspaper: “It’s always dangerous to undermine the integrity of elections without evidence.” The Democrat lost his 2018 run to Brian Kemp, a Republican who ran for his own election as Secretary of State. Abrams refused to budge. Asked about Republican claims, Trump’s objection is no different, she said: “Well, it’s not just different circumstances. They are apples and bowling balls. “I stressed that there were a series of actions taken that prevented the voter from voting. And in almost all of these circumstances the courts agreed, as did the state legislature. “In contrast, she said,” President Trump has lost every one of his challenges in the state of Georgia and he has no evidence. ” The Post reported it obtained a “one-hour extraordinary call” tape on Saturday, in which Trump pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn Biden’s victory. “The people of Georgia are angry, people in the country are angry,” Trump said. “And there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you recalculated.” Raffensperger said, “Well, Mr. President, the challenge you have is that the data you have is wrong.” Trump said, “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, one more than us. Because we won the state.” Trump acknowledged the call, tweeting that Raffensperger “did not want or was unable to answer questions like the ‘ballot-under-the-table’ coup, destruction of ballots, out-of-state ‘voters’, dead voters and more. He has no idea! ” to Hawley, saying, “Adults don’t point a loaded gun to the center of legitimate self-government.” “We have a deep cancer in American politics,” Sasse added. “Both Republicans and Democrats are increasingly suspicious of basic processes and procedures. . ” The senators who followed Hawley made the same observation, pointing to the polls. On Sunday, Johnson said they were acting “to protect” democracy. These arguments are in bad faith – the blame for public mistrust weighs much more on the White House and its allies To Johnson’s insistence that “tens of millions” believe the election was “stolen”, NBC Meet the Press presenter Chuck Todd suggested that he “look in the mirror” if he wanted to find out what Todd then interrupted Johnson, saying, “You don’t make these claims that have not been proven true.” On CNN, Tapper made comments to Hawley in January, during Trump’s impeachment. “The consequences for the republic of overthrowing an election because you don’t like the result, “said Hawley,” and because you believe that election was somehow corrupted, when in fact, the evidence shows that it wasn’t … this is an interesting approach. I think it’s crazy, quite frankly. “