Republican Senator Tom Cotton, a longtime supporter of President Trump, broke with some of his Republican colleagues in the House and Senate, saying he will not contest the results of the Electoral College when Congress meets to certify them this week.
Cotton said the effort led by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri in the Senate and Rep. Mo Brooks in the House would set a “reckless precedent” and exceed his authority under the US Constitution.
“The Founders entrusted our elections mainly to the states – not to Congress. They entrusted the election of our president to the people, acting through the Electoral College – not Congress. And they entrusted the trial of electoral disputes to the courts – not to Congress, ”said Cotton in a statement released on Sunday.
“Under the Constitution and federal law, Congress’ power is limited to counting the electoral votes submitted by the states,” he continued. “If Congress intended to overturn the results of the Electoral College, it would not only exceed that power, but also set unwise precedents.”
A joint session of Congress will be convened on Wednesday to certify the results that gave President-elect Joe Biden 306 electoral votes against 232 for President Trump.
Challenging the results of the Electoral College to deflect Trump’s election would take away the people’s power to elect the president and place that power in “the hands of any party that controls Congress,” said Cotton, from Arkansas.
Due to concerns about election irregularities stemming from “relaxed standards” for postal voting, Cotton said he would support the appointment of a parliamentary committee to examine the election, as Cruz and his group of Republicans asked, “to protect the integrity of our elections . ”
He said he is “grateful” for what Trump accomplished during his four years in the White House, but “challenging the certified electoral votes will not give him a second term – it will only encourage those Democrats who want to further erode our constitutional government system.”