Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger has accused President Donald Trump and his fellow Republican Party representatives who seek to challenge the January 6 Electoral College vote of participating in a “total fraud” designed to “raise money and gain followers” .
“All this talk about January 6,@realDonaldTrump and other con artists in Congress are simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well that they can do nothing. It’s sad and a total farce, “tweeted Kinzinger on Saturday.
All this talk about January 6, @realDonaldTrump and other con artists in Congress are simply explained: they will raise money and gain followers by blaming everyone else knowing full well that they can’t do anything. It is sad and a total blow. #restoreourgop
– Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) December 26, 2020
The Republican Party legislator’s statement came amid reports that Representative Mo Brooks and Senator Tommy Tuberville will contest the Electoral College vote when Congress meets in January.
The two lawmakers have already suggested that they would use the 1877 Electoral Counting Act in a last-ditch effort to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
If Brooks and Tuberville successfully unite to oppose the electoral vote, the Senate and House of Representatives will be required to hold a two-hour debate and then vote on whether to approve or deny the objection. For the process to proceed, both chambers would have to agree with the objection in order to reject the contested electoral votes.
Kinzinger’s statement joins a growing list of Republicans in Congress who find the attempt futile and politically damaging.
KEVIN DIETSCH / Getty
During a conference call on December 15, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell reportedly warned that contesting the counting of electoral votes in certain states on January 6 would be a political mistake, especially for senators running for re-election.
Republican Senator John Thune told CNN on Tuesday that opposing the vote would make no progress.
“I think what they need to remember is that it’s not going anywhere. I mean, in the Senate, it would go down like a shot. I just don’t think it makes much sense to put everyone in this situation when you know what the end result will be” , he said.
Thune also stated that Republican Party leaders want to “encourage all of our members – new members included – that we have a lot of work ahead of us and that redoing it requires a lot of time, energy and political capital that could be better used to work on an agenda for the next year, “according to The Hill.
The Electoral College voted to officially confirm Joe Biden as the next president of the United States on December 14.
Challenging this vote at the next Congressional meeting will be the last attempt by Trump and his allies to overturn the election results, after months of failed lawsuits and baseless allegations that the presidential race was riddled with electoral fraud.
Brooks told CNN on Monday that a “double-digit” number of lawmakers attended a meeting at the White House with President Trump to devise a strategy.
“In a general sense, the way we are doing, it looks like we will have valid objections raised against several states on January 6,” said Brooks.
On Saturday, Trump’s elected congresswoman and strict advocate, Marjorie Taylor Greene, voiced her support for the movement and criticized Kinzinger for tweeting against other Republicans.
“How does it feel to be quoted on Twitter with resounding approval by Democrats and Progressives while you call yourself ‘Republican’ and say #RestoreOurGOP?” she tweeted.
“More than 75 million ‘swindlers’ know @realDonaldTrumpthe election of was stolen. Don’t worry traitors @ProjectLincoln will donate to you, “she added.
Newsweek contacted Kinzinger for further comments, but received no response in time for publication.