Republican Party representatives Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Mo Brooks of Alabama have publicly discussed their disagreement with President Donald Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
Although Brooks wholeheartedly endorsed the allegations, which failed in court due to a lack of supporting evidence, Kinzinger classified the allegations as false. The Illinois Republican has suggested that those who support the president’s conspiracy theories are doing so to raise money and attract more attention on social media.
Speaking to Fox News morning show Fox and friends on Monday morning, Brooks said Kinzinger did not properly investigate the issue.
“If he did his homework, he would understand that the evidence is overwhelming,” said Brooks. “He can surrender to the people who support electoral fraud, electoral theft, or he can fight for his country on this specific issue.”
Kevin Dietsch-Pool / Alex Wong / Getty
Brooks and other House Republicans plan to oppose the electoral votes of several battlefield states when those votes are officially counted by Congress on January 6. For objections to be considered, a Republican senator must also sign an objection in writing. While the effort is expected to fail, several Republican senators have suggested that they may be open to supporting objections.
Trump and his Republican Party supporters argue that President-elect Joe Biden won the election just because of widespread electoral fraud. But in dozens of disputes in federal and state courts, lawyers for the president and his supporters have provided no evidence to prove his allegations.
The president’s former attorney general, William Barr, who resigned this month, also said there was no evidence to alter the outcome of the election. Prior to that observation, Barr was widely seen as one of the most loyal members of the Trump Cabinet.
Although some Republican lawmakers, like Kinzinger, have pointed out since November that Trump’s allegations of electoral fraud lack any evidence, many, like Brooks, endorsed them.
“I grew up as a Republican because I believe in a smaller government and a strong national defense, and this is being destroyed by conspiracies and anger now,” Kinzinger told CNN state of the Union on Sunday. “I really care about the future of my party.”
Later on Sunday, Brooks called Kinzinger on Twitter and tried to explain his plan to overturn the election results in favor of Trump.
“. @ AdamKinzinger says that fighting for honest and accurate elections is a ‘fraud’ without a constitutional basis. Article Const. I, Section 4 and 3 USC 15 differ,” Brooks tweeted. “AK says that many citizens will be disappointed. YES – BECAUSE MANY POLITICS SURRENDER VOTE FRAUD!”
Kinzinger responded by retweeting Brooks’ remark and writing: “Brother, you are a friend, but the only thing I am surrendering to is the Constitution and the will of the people. I am a fighter, and the Republic needs fighters to defend against the fall into chaos. #RestoreOurGOP “
Brother, you are a friend, but the only thing I am surrendering to is the Constitution and the will of the people. I am a fighter, and the Republic needs fighters to defend itself against the decline in chaos. #RestoreOurGOP https://t.co/NWLFOMzSgp
– Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) December 28, 2020
Last Monday, Kinzinger told CNN that the Republican congressmen who plan to oppose on January 6 “are not serious people” who “convinced their base, by retweeting and money, that we, as members of Congress, can go out and determine that we only want Trump to be president again in 2020. “
Newsweek contacted Kinzinger and Brooks press representatives for comment, but they did not respond in time for publication.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who did not congratulate Biden until the Electoral College voted on December 14, asked Republican Party senators not to join the efforts of House Republicans to object. Since then, McConnell has faced criticism from Trump and the president’s supporters.
If a Republican senator signs an objection with a member of the Chamber, both chambers of Congress will meet separately to discuss and vote on the objection. For the objection to be upheld, both chambers would have to agree.
This result is believed to be extremely unlikely. The House is strictly controlled by Democrats, and it appears that there are enough Republicans who would reject any objection in the Senate to prevent any of the houses from supporting Trump’s supporters.